Crimes News Thread

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Come on Johnny Abraham !!!, you want to be C of P and you can't find a man in a wheelchair

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Journalist found dead in her bedroom
By Renuka Singh (Guardian).

Outspoken media personality Marcia Henville, 51, died in her home at Fidelis Heights, St Augustine, early yesterday morning. Police and fire services were called on the scene, alerted by a fire at the home, and discovered Henville’s body. The Sunday Guardian understands that first responders found her body when they entered her bedroom.

At the house, there were no visible signs of fire damage, as the fire appeared to have reached only Henville’s bedroom on the upper floor. Police cordoned off the house and closed the gates to the small community housing. The media were not allowed inside the gated housing development.

Henville shared the house with a male relative and her two adult children. While the two children, aged 23 and 19, escaped unharmed, the male relative was said to have sustained burns to 35 per cent of his body and is currently at hospital warded in a serious but stable condition.

Police have also indicated that there are no suspects in the case as yet, though a male relative is assisting with the investigation. The Sunday Guardian was informed that neighbours also reported to police that they heard a loud argument and the sound of a woman screaming before the fire was spotted.

Marcia Henville was struggling to deal with domestic problems

While co-workers and colleagues describe Henville as “vocal,” “vibrant,” “robust,” and a “voice for the voiceless,” they knew of one issue Henville kept silent on: she had her own domestic problems and trials to deal with which were taking a toll on her. Her friend Fulton Wilson took to his Facebook page yesterday where he revealed a different side to the courageous TV personality as she struggled to deal with her own issues.

Wilson’s post read: “I just got the news about Marcia Henville from my neighbour. I am devastated, angry, sad, upset, etc. Knew her over 20 years. After I left journalism our paths hardly crossed except for the occasional gym meeting. That changed recently when she came to me...documents were due to be signed and filed on Monday...” In a subsequent telephone interview, Wilson elaborated.

“I spoke at length with her and she was very enthusiastic... She alluded that the house was going to be an issue, but she was determined...” While Wilson said he could not speak on the issue, he said that Henville shared her secret with her close inner circle of friends. Wilson also called for a speedy post-mortem for his friend, saying that it would help resolve this matter quickly.

Other longtime media friends also said she told them recently that she was “fearful for her life.” Two of Henville’s media friends yesterday revealed that in the last six months, she told them that she was scared for her life because of an escalating domestic situation. Her lawyer confirmed this. Friends said she was planning to move out of her St Augustine home late last year, but changed her mind.

Henville’s sudden death sent shockwaves through the media. Several former and current members of the media also took to Facebook to express their grief. There was also an outpouring of condolences from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and two political parties, the Congress of the People and the Independent Liberal Party.

Last year, when Henville’s 19-year-old son, Chioke Henville, appeared in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court to answer five charges, including possession of a shotgun and eight rounds of ammunition, she was very supportive of him. She faced severe public criticisms for this. The young Henville was granted bail in the sum of $10,000 and is expected to reappear in court on February 4. But this time his mother will not be around to support him.

JeArlean John: She was a robust personality, always kind to the poor

Henville’s former boss, Housing Development Corporation managing director, Jearlean John, yesterday described Henville as a “robust personality.” “She was always a joy to work with. I did not know her in any personal capacity, but she was always helpful and kind to the poor and downtrodden,” John said. “She understood the folks looking for a hand up and was full of empathy for their situations,” John said.

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Come on Johnny Abraham !!!, you want to be C of P and you can't find a man in a wheelchair

Consider, while he might be a wheelchair killer that does not mean he uses a wheelchair. Maybe he used it as a decoy?

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IT WAS MURDER
By NALINEE SEELAL and RYAN HAMILTON-DAVIS
Tuesday, January 27 2015

TELEVISION host and journalist Marcia Henville was murdered... brutally. She was bludgeoned, throat slit, was stabbed several times in the back of the neck and had a flammable liquid poured over her body to burn her where she lay.

These, in essence, are the findings of an autopsy performed on her body at the Forensic Science Centre, St James yesterday by Pathologist Dr Eastlyn Mc Donald-Burris and assisted by Senior Forensic Pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov.

Henville was discovered burnt and bleeding in the bedroom of her Fidelis Heights, St Augustine apartment home on Saturday morning. The Fire Department responded to a call from the gated community opposite the Hugh Wooding Law School at six o’clock that morning.

Henville’s husband Sheldon escaped the fire with burns about his hands and legs and had to be hospitalised at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope. Her children Chioke, 20, and Nekiyah, 15, who were also in the apartment were unhurt.

The autopsy determined Henville’s killer may have used a kitchen knife in the attack to slash her throat, stab her six times to the back and her neck and then beat her on the head, causing blunt force trauma.

The killer then attempted to burn the body of the mother of two by pouring a flammable liquid on her back and on the mattress where she lay and proceeded to set the mattress on fire. The killer also lit the clothing Henville was wearing.

Yesterday’s autopsy led investigators to conclude that when her throat was slashed, Henville fell on her stomach on the bed prompting the killer to inflict the stabs wounds to the back of the neck (which severed her spinal chord) to ensure she was dead. Homicide investigators also now believe the killing was premeditated.

Initial examination of the room where Henville was found, revealed the killer wanted to conceal the murder by burning her body. The killer also wanted to ensure that the fire was contained only to the bedroom. Homicide officers told Newsday while the back of Henville’s body was badly burnt the front torso remained intact.

As a result of the findings of the autopsy homicide officers returned to Fidelis Heights to search for the murder weapon which they believe was left behind at the murder scene. Police believe the killer felt he was successful in concealing Henville’s murder, but after a report of fire was made to the Fire Services, officers responded promptly and were able to contain the blaze before it fully consumed her body.

Henville’s husband Sheldon, 39, a labourer with the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), told police on Saturday that he and his wife went to the Queen’s Park Savannah to listen to pan music.

He said when they returned home a scented candle was lit in the room and they both retired to bed. He claimed that at about 5.30 am on Saturday he was awakened by the crackling sound of fire and ran out of the bedroom and escaped, leaving Marcia behind.

He suffered third degree burns and was taken to the EWMSC where he remained under police guard up until yesterday. Following the autopsy yesterday, Henville’s son Chioke told Newsday that although he was in receipt of the findings from the pathologist of his mother’s death, he was still in a state of grief and was not prepared to say anything at this time. He added that he visited his father at the EWMSC on Sunday and also yesterday and said he was fine.

Chioke said he was preparing to again visit his father yesterday afternoon before proceeding to a wake scheduled to take place upstairs of the Curepe office of the Gayelle Channel, the television system where Marcia once worked. Chioke said the wake will be a gathering of friends and loved ones who wanted to spend some time together to talk about the good memories they shared with his mother.

One such friend, Stephan De Shong, a TV6 cameraman who worked closely with Henville on her programme Point Blank was moved to tears as he recalled the good times he shared with her when visiting several hotspot areas to videotape footage for their crime programme.

“Marcia was the most down to earth, loving woman who would do anything for anyone... she was that kind of person,” he told Newsday. “What drew us closer together was our faith in God.

Many people would not know this, but before any shoot we would pray first for guidance and protection,” Another friend, Rhonda Rochard, Manager of a calypso tent in Morvant who was recently interviewed by Henville, about the tent recounted, “I was awakened at 7 am by an artiste in the tent, asking if I had heard the news that Marcia was dead. I said she cannot be, because I spoke to her less than five hours ago. But then I turned on the news and the radio and that was it.”

Rochard said that management has now decided to dedicate the entire Carnival season to the memory of Marcia.

Police sources confirmed to Newsday that since the murder, they have interviewed several persons who all claimed Henville had confided in them about threats to her life.

Neighbours of Henville have also confirmed to police that before her death on Saturday morning, they heard an argument coming from her apartment followed by screams and an explosion.

Neighbours said it was not the first time heated arguments were heard from Henville’s home. Investigations are continuing, with sources saying that sometime this week, investigators may approach Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard SC, for further directions.

[Sando prince]

Cruise ship tourists assaulted, robbed in Port of Spain

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Cruise-ship-tourist-beaten-robbed-in-Port-of-Spain-290666161.html

By Susan Mohammed


AN elderly English couple visiting Trinidad for a day on a cruise ship was beaten and robbed in Port of Spain this morning.

Phillip Pearson, 77, and his wife, Betty, of Oxfordshire, arrived aboard the cruise ship “Adonia” which docked in Port of Spain.

According to police, shortly before midday, the two were walking along Charlotte Street when in the vicinity of Chang’s Variety Store, a man approached and grabbed Betty Pearson’s gold chain, valued £2,000, off her neck.

The thief pushed the elderly woman to the ground and when her husband tried to intervene, he was overpowered and pushed to the ground also.

The couple’s camera valued £250 also fell and was destroyed.
Police were told the thief ran towards the apartments at Duncan Street and disappeared.

The couple was assisted by passers-by and a police officer on patrol nearby was alerted to the incident.

The couple was taken to the Central CID where they made a report. They were taken by police officers to the Port of Spain General Hospital for treatment.

They suffered cuts and bruises and were expected to be discharged this afternoon.

The cruise ship is expected to leave Trinidad at 6 p.m.
PC Chinpire is continuing investigations.

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$150,000 debt owed to him may have cost him his life
By Susan Mohammed (Express).

KILLED FOR CAR $$

A DEBT of $150,000 owed to Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) director Azad Niamat may have cost him his life.

The Express was told that on the day Niamat went missing on January 29 he went to collect money from a man who lives in East Trinidad.

The source told the Express Niamat was owed the money from the sale of two vehicles – a Mercedes Benz and a seven-seater. He sold the vehicle last March.

Niamat told someone close to him he was going to collect the money the day he vanished.

Niamat’s body was found on Monday in Brazil Village, near Arima.

The body was clad in clothing and a wristwatch which Niamat was last seen by his family wearing, and found less than three kilometres from where his Toyota Prado had been discovered the day after he was reported missing.

Due to the advanced state of decomposition of the body, the forensic procedure is that the identity still must be confirmed through deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing.

On Tuesday morning, Niamat’s siblings went to the Forensic Science Centre in St James to hand over samples of their DNA for the tests.

A relative of Niamat’s who requested anonymity said when he was last seen leaving his house in Chaguanas shortly before midday he was seen with a router and he told a nephew he was going to Port of Spain to have it repaired.

“We are just waiting on the results of the DNA tests before we can proceed with funeral arrangements. We haven’t heard how long the identification process will take,” the relative said.

The relative said Niamat’s wife, Greer Cumberbatch, has been distraught since he disappeared.

“She has been very, very distraught. She has not been able to catch herself since he went missing,” the relative said.

The couple would have celebrated 46 years of marriage on July 27.

Niamath was a father of two and a grandfather of five.

Cumberbatch has also said to be in constant contact with their children – their son who is a surgeon in England, and their daughter who recently migrated to Florida.

The family said Caribbean Airlines has offered to cover the expenses of their being flown to Trinidad, possibly by the end of the week.

Imam Morland Lynch, who was at the crime scene, told the Express Niamat had been his friend for some 20 years.

“He was a very loving person, a very generous man. This is a big loss to all who knew him, all in his community. He was a very respectful person. He had a big heart and a big hand,” said Lynch.

He said an example of his generosity was that Niamat had helped to build a mosque at Crown Trace, Enterprise.

Last week, Niamat’s family offered a reward to anyone who can bring information that can lead to him being found.

Chaguanas Chamber expresses condolences

The president of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCIC) Richie Sookhai has extended deepest condolences to the family of Niamat in his passing.

He said: “Mr Niamat has been a friend of the Chamber for many years, sharing a very close and fruitful relationship. He was a true son of the soil in Central Trinidad and will be sorely missed.

“His amiable nature and quick wit rendered him an immediate favourite amongst his peers. He was a shrewd and innovative business, demonstrated by the successes of his business ventures.

He was a family man who also enjoyed a good time with his neighbours in the community. He will be missed.

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One month after daughter’s murder by man in wheelchair, mom asks why no arrest:
By Kim Boodram (Express).

COPS HIDING KILLER

Mother of the victim of the “wheelchair killer”, Salma Chadee, said yesterday the grieving family believes the suspect is being protected by the police as almost one month later he is yet to be arrested.

Waheida Khan-Chadee said she is “hurt” and “stunned” that the person of interest being sought by the police who lived with the family for some time and presented himself as Joe “Goat” Mohammed, is still “hiding and living good” nearly a month after she witnessed her 19-year-old daughter being fatally shot.

“What are the police doing?” she asked.

Salma Chadee was shot twice in the chest at home on January 17, while Khan-Chadee stood a few feet away, holding Chadee’s 11-month-old son, Noah.

Speaking from her Chadee Street, La Paille Village home yesterday, Khan-Chadee said rumours continue to reach the family that the “wheelchair killer”, so called because his legs were broken and he was confined to a wheelchair at the time of the murder, is being seen out and about in the Central area.

After killing Chadee, the man forced her brother to carry him outside, where a getaway car was waiting. The man’s wheelchair was left behind as he was thrown out into the front yard and dragged himself to freedom.

“I heard he was seen recently in Chaguanas moving around with the help of friends,” Khan-Chadee said.
“He is free as usual but apparently he is well-connected.”

The man is also wanted in connection with the murder last May of his estranged wife, Sherlene Mahangoo-Charles. Khan-Chadee maintained yesterday that neither her daughter nor the family was aware of the man’s true identity.

“We never had a clue,” she said.

She stated again, however, that Mohammed had claimed to have been assisted by police on the day of his accident in which his legs were broken.

“He said they called the ambulance for him. So didn’t they know who he was, or are they protecting him?” she asked.

The 47-year-old grandmother said yesterday she lost her job at a private doctor’s office after the murder, as her employer felt too much “negativity” had been generated by the incident. She now cares for her grandson, while the health of her husband, Chadee’s father, has declined. Chadee’s father suffers from clinical depression.

Khan-Chadee reiterated statements she made after the murder, saying the killer had stayed a her home for close to a month following his accident and she believed her daughter felt sorry for him.

“He never really talked about having any family and such,” she said.

“Salma had known him through friends and I think she was sorry for him but maybe he thought they were together. I can’t say that I saw any relationship between them.”

She is still unsure as to “what triggered him off” on the day of the shooting but she knew her daughter had begun to find the man “possessive”.

“I believe she may have told him that she couldn’t take care of him anymore,” Khan-Chadee said. “But if he could do that to his wife and then come here and do this to my daughter, he has no remorse.”

She said the man had spent most of his time on the family’s couch and although she had limited conversation with him, she treated him well, believing him to be a friend of her daughter in need.
“He used to call me ‘lady’ and was respectful,” she said.

“He used to keep a Quran by his head all the time and would talk about the book. He pretended to be a good person.”

Now the Chadee family lives not only in grief but in fear that the killer could return.

“It is so hurtful and frightening that he is still outside,” Khan-Chadee said.

“He is hiding and living good while we have to deal with this. My daughter and I had become so close after she had the baby, she used to tell me that the day I die, she wants to die that same day too.”

Baby Noah’s father is not a part of the child’s life, she said, and she intends to apply to the courts for legal guardianship. Relatives of the Chadees living on the same property and their neighbours have all expressed similar fears for their safety.

“He could rationalise a reason to come back here,” said one relative, who declined to be named.

“I have a child who is too afraid and traumatised to go to school because of this.”

Neighbours on the short street have upped security, adding more lights and cameras to their properties.

[Deeks]

This is straight out of the tv series, The Fugitive. There was the the one arm man villain in the tv version. We have the wheel chair man in the TT version. Unbelievable!!!!

[Sando prince]

Pray for sweet T&T

Man killed for taking a wine

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Man-killed-for-taking-a-wine-292130621.html
 
 FOR wining on the ex-girlfriend of a known Morvant gang member during Jouvert celebrations in downtown Port of Spain, a 29-year-old St Helena man lost his life yesterday morning after he was shot by the jealous gunman.

It was just minutes after Aston Antoine, of Las Lomas #1, went to the home of the woman and her sister at Leon Street, Morvant, around 9.30 a.m. that the gunman approached and opened fire hitting Antoine in the upper body before escaping. Up to yesterday evening he remained at large but police sources at the Morvant station said they expect an arrest to be made soon given that the suspect is well-known by officers for his involvement in criminal activities.

Officers said they believed the shooter also had the intention of murdering his former lover but she escaped unhurt when she noticed him approaching. Her sister however, was shot in the hand and was warded in satisfactory condition yesterday evening, police said.
Investigating officers said Antoine and the women attended Jouvert celebrations in the capital city during which Antoine was wining on both women. The situation soon escalated after the suspect, who was nearby, approached the trio and an altercation took place. However, this was soon brought under control by others present, police said.

This was not to be the end of the altercation though. Officers said when the three returned to the Morvant address they were seated outside the house and this was when the gunman made his move. Soon after the incident, officers of the Morvant Police Station arrived at the scene and took Antoine and the injured woman to the Port of Spain General Hospital. Around 1.30 p.m. Antoine was pronounced dead while on the operating table, said detectives.

Offiers of the Region II Homicide Bureau of Investigations is continuing investigations into the murder

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Murder mars las lap on the Avenue.
By Jensen La Vende (Guardian).

Four killings over 24 hours

The murder of a state witness and a carnival spectator were among four that took place between Carnival Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. The murders have taken the murder toll to 52 for the year, 20 fewer than the same period last year. The killings brought the total number of people killed over the last five days to 12.

Police said 21-year-old Kyshon Bell told relatives he did not want to go into the city to witness the parade of the bands. He was beaten and stabbed in a fight along Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, shortly after 6.30 pm. The incident disrupted las lap celebrations as police moved in to quell the fight near Wendy’s fast food restaurant on Ariapita Avenue. According to police reports, Bell, of Queen Street, Port-of-Spain, died at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital about two hours later.

According to one of Bell’s friends who spoke with the media, yesterday, at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, Bell was accosted by a man wearing a carnival band security T-shirt who thought he had thrown a bottle at them. The friend, who did not want to be named, said the incident followed an incident where another friend was thrown out of the band.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian at their Queen Street home yesterday, Bell’s aunt, who identified herself only as Yvette, said her nephew was a peacemaker who never disrespected anyone. She said the father of two was not supposed to have gone out that day but accompanied his younger cousin who wanted to go look at the mas. Yvette said her nephew’s lungs were punctured when he was stabbed.

“This is a great loss to the family. If you is a security in a band you have no authority to stab him. It wasn’t one stab you know, is more than one,” Yvette said. Another relative said justice was all the family wanted now, adding that no one from the band had contacted them since the incident. Another one of Bell’s relatives who was described as his favourite cousin, Khadisha, called on the authorities to use security cameras to identify the killers.

“They (the band organisers) probably don’t even know Kyshon dead, no one came or called. Is like if he was just a dog, as though he don't have a family. I think if you hiring security you must show them how to act with people on the road. My cousin went to enjoy himself and then end up dead,” Khadisha said. Bell will be buried on Saturday.

In a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, leader of the band, which was identified by the security guard’s T-shirt, said while the incident was not brought to his attention, it could not have happened with his band as his band was already done for the day and at his mas camp in Woodbrook when the stabbing took place.

Other killings

In the most recent killing, 24-year-old Kurt Boyce was killed at the home of his girlfriend around 2 am yesterday.  Police reports said Boyce was at the Trou Macaque home of his girlfriend when a gunman stormed the house and shot him once in the chest while he was asleep.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. His girlfriend, who was at home when Boyce was shot, spoke with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday. She described Boyce as a hardworking man.

“He was a nice person. He was just a nice person. I have a daughter; he used to treat she like he own but we have no children together,” she said.

On Carnival Tuesday night, state witness Nicholas Joseph, 21, was killed near his Dundonald Hill, St James, home around 10.30 pm. Joseph was the main witness in the killing of Marlon Harewood, 35, who was killed on April 25, 2014. His body was found behind a neighbour’s house at Dundonald Hill, Belle Vue, St James. Police said Joseph had been receiving death threats recently.

A man is currently before the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court charged with Harewood’s murder. In the fourth killing, a homeless man was found semi-nude in a shack in St Augustine. According to police reports, around 2.30 pm on Tuesday, Northern Division officers went to Agostini St, St Augustine, where they found the body of Joel “Cruz” Benjamin in the house.

Benjamin is the second man this month to be found dead in the Division without any pants or underwear. On February 8, a man was found in the same condition near the Grand Bazaar overpass.

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ONE BULLET TO THE HEAD
By RYAN HAMILTON DAVIS and CECILY ASSON

TWO teenaged sisters were left severely traumatised after they witnessed their mother being shot through the head at point blank range by two men who forced their way into the victim’s Point Fortin home on Tuesday night.

Police reported that at about 11.45 pm, Sadhana Nobbee, 48, and her daughters Kia, 19, and Tress, 15, were at their Sting Trace, Point Fortin home when two men wearing tall boots and dressed in clothing similar to those of police officers, kicked in the front door to their wooden house.

The noise alerted the teenagers who came out of their room to see what was happening. They were confronted by the gunmen who police said made them and their mother kneel on the floor. The intruders began questioning Nobbee about the whereabouts of a man named “Clyde”.

When Nobbee said he was not at the house, she was shot once in the head. As Nobbee immediately slumped to the floor, bleeding profusely from the gunshot wound, the men left the house. The teens’ screams alerted other residents and Nobbee was rushed to the Point Fortin Area Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

A party of officers led by Insp Parriman and including Sgt Corrie, Cpl Prince along with officers of the Southern Division Homicide Bureau visited the scene. Police sources said that Nobbee was a divorcee and for the past year had been in a common-law relationship with someone. A motive has not yet been established for the killing.

At the Forensic Science Centre in St James, a relative who asked not to be identified described Nobbee as a “friendly and peaceful woman.” The relative could not say why anyone would want Nobbee killed.

“I don’t believe my relative had any enemies,” said the woman. “She had a lot of friends so I can’t say why someone would want to end her life in such a horrifying manner,” the relative added.

Nobbee a mother of three, grew up with her five other siblings in Cedros and later moved to Point Fortin. “One of her daughters called me and said, ‘we have a big problem, mom has just been shot’. I told her I would be right there and I went with one of my brothers and another sister,” the grieving relative said.

In an unrelated incident, housewife Amanda Mahatoo, 19, who is eight months pregnant and who lives in Penal was shot in both legs by a masked gunman who before opening fire on her, robbed her of a bag containing $40,000. He escaped in a vehicle parked nearby.

Investigators revealed at the time of the shooting, Mahatoo was just about to leave her home to go to the bank to make a deposit. Mahatoo’s common-law husband is involved in the fishing industry. She was rushed to the Sapaira Health Facility where she was treated and later transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital where she remains warded in stable condition. Sgts Ramsingh, Victor, Neemai, Cpl Marsh, PC Samlal and officers of the Penal Police Station responded. Investigations are continuing. Nobbee is the eighth woman to be murdered for this year.

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Girl, 5, sees mom killed
By Carolyn Kissoon (Express).

MURDER-SUICIDE HORROR

A five-year-old girl who was in the back seat of a car had to watch as a man shot her mother dead before turning the weapon on himself on Saturday night.
Little Kensiya Ragoonanan ran out of the vehicle into the arms of a stranger, who was standing on the roadway.
Benedict Gabriel, of Pleasantville, told police he was standing at Princess Margaret Street, San Fernando around 9 p.m. when he heard explosions.
Gabriel said he saw a little girl running towards him. She said her mother was dead.
San Fernando police responded to the report and found the child’s mother, Jessica Brereton, dead in the front passenger seat. A man was slumped in the driver’s seat of the silver BMW car with gunshot wounds to the head.
He was identified as Anil Lalmansingh, 41, of Mitchell Street, South Oropouche.
Brereton, 34, lived at Seaview Drive, Marabella.
Relatives said the couple, who worked together at Iere Express Couriers in San Fernando, had been in a relationship for almost three years.
But late last year, relatives said, Brereton, an administrative assistant, ended the relationship.
Her mother, Veronica Noel, said, “She left home around 8.30 p.m. to go to Fyzabad. She didn’t say why. I ask her about her daughter and she said the child was going with her. She and the man worked together and they were in a relationship. Just before Christmas she ended the relationship because things were not working out. I didn’t know the details. But the man went Miami and came back and they were talking again.”
Brereton was also the mother of 11-year-old Hezekiah Brandon.
Following the shooting, Noel was informed that her daughter was in an abusive relationship with the man. “She confided in a friend. She didn’t tell me. I heard that he locked her in a room at work and wanted to stab her. He would rough her up in the office and she couldn’t put up with it anymore. I can’t understand why she didn’t tell me, because we had a good relationship. I heard that the man convinced my daughter to keep secrets from me because he knew I would go to the police,” she said.
Noel said Brereton was the second of her four children. “I got a call from someone who knew the man and she told me my daughter was shot dead. I didn’t believe it until the police called. I went to the station but they didn’t hand over Kensiya. I had to send for my identification card and the police brought her home to us. I am now left to care for my grandchildren,” she said.
The police and church have offered counselling to the little girl.
At Lalmansingh’s home in South Oropouche relatives were shocked by the news that he had killed Brereton and himself.
His older sister, Kim Bhola, said Lalmansingh loved Brereton dearly and wanted to marry her.
She said after her brother divorced six years ago, he found love in his co-worker and the two shared a good relationship. Lalmansingh, a courier, was the father of an 18-year-old girl.
Bhola said Brereton lived with her brother, who never displayed violent behaviour.
“He was in Miami recently and was supposed to go again this month. I got the news from my mom in New York, someone called her last night. He loved the girl, everybody was in shock,” she said.
Bhola said she sympathised with Brereton’s family.
“As a mother, my heart goes out to that family. I know they must be hurting just like us. It is so sad. I don’t know what went wrong. I don’t know why this happened,” she said.
Lalmansingh’s car was seized by investigators, as homicide detectives continue investigations.
The murder toll now stands at 84, according to an Express tally.

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No bail for woman, 22, accused of stabbing 10-year-old sister
By Sascha Wilson (Guardian)

Bail was yesterday denied to a 22-year-old woman accused of stabbing her 10-year-old sister because the child is in a serious condition at the San Fernando General Hospital.

Dion Cross, who was arrested shortly after the alleged incident, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington in the San Fernando First Court. She was not represented by an attorney.

Several relatives were present in court when Wellington denied bail, saying, “I am not fixing bail until her condition improves.”

He advised Cross of the right to apply to the judge in chambers for bail, and asked the prosecutor to update him on the child’s condition at the next hearing.

Prosecutor Sgt Gordon Maharaj said the child was still warded at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital. He provided the magistrate with a medical report, detailing the child's injuries.

Wellington read the charge to Cross that on March 26 at Solomon Street, Vistabella she wounded Cherise Cross with intent to do her grievous bodily harm. She was not called upon to plea.
 
It is alleged that Cross stabbed her sister four times during an argument at their home. The child underwent emergency surgery.
 
The matter was adjourned to April 14.


Dion Cross, 22, charged with wounding her 10-year-old sister Cherisse Cross with intent to do her grievous bodily harm, is escorted to the San Fernando Magistrates Court by police on March 31, 2015. Photo: Rishi Ragoonath

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Abusive lover stabs girlfriend to death
By Jensen La Vende (Guardian).

A hostile relationship, a jealous lover and alleged poor policing are being blamed for the murder of Nikita Griffin, who was stabbed to death early yesterday at her Clifton Hill apartment, St Paul Street, East Dry River, Port-of-Spain. Police said around 5.30 am, Griffin, a 28-year-old mother of three, was at her apartment, having just returned home from partying with friends when she and the suspect began arguing.

The man then pulled out a knife and stabbed her repeatedly in front of her 13-year-old child. After stabbing the woman the man placed her in a car and took her to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. The man, police said, is now in hiding. Speaking to the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, Griffin’s friends said she and the man were together for the past five months and were continuously arguing.

The man, they said, was always jealous of any attention Griffin received from the opposite sex and that was the cause of most of the almost daily arguments. The women lamented that Griffin’s killer was arrested by police after the two got into a heated argument recently but was later released.
Griffin’s killing was one of three which occurred between Tuesday night and yesterday morning. In the other killings, police are clueless over the motive for the murder of Alyrio Sergio Howard.

Police reports are that around 8.50 pm on Tuesday, Howard, 35, of Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Petit Valley, was driving east along Carlton Avenue, St James, when a Nissan B-13 stopped in front of his Hyundai Elantra. Two men came out and shot him several times before driving off. The car was later found abandoned. Speaking at the FSC yesterday, his mother, Lorraine Howard, said her son was a loving young man who had recently returned from abroad after completing his studies. He had two children aged two and six  and was an accountant with Sagicor.

An unidentified aunt called on the media to highlight the ills of society so that they could be addressed. She added her nephew’s murder was “a sign of the times in T&T,” adding: “T&T is not becoming a nice place. It really isn't.” In the other killing, homicide detectives say they are reviewing closed circuit television footage in the hope of apprehending the killer/s of Shane Harper.

Police said around 11.30 pm on Tuesday, residents of Belmont Circular Road heard several gunshots and called the police. When police arrived they found Harper, of La Canoa, Santa Cruz, dead at Carr Lane, off Carr Street, Belmont Circular Road. Police are unsure of a motive behind his killing. With the three murders the toll is now 94. The figure for the same period last year was 113.

[grimm01]

Abusive lover stabs girlfriend to death
By Jensen La Vende (Guardian).

A hostile relationship, a jealous lover and alleged poor policing are being blamed for the murder of Nikita Griffin, who was stabbed to death early yesterday at her Clifton Hill apartment, St Paul Street, East Dry River, Port-of-Spain. Police said around 5.30 am, Griffin, a 28-year-old mother of three, was at her apartment, having just returned home from partying with friends when she and the suspect began arguing.

The man then pulled out a knife and stabbed her repeatedly in front of her 13-year-old child. After stabbing the woman the man placed her in a car and took her to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. The man, police said, is now in hiding. Speaking to the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, Griffin’s friends said she and the man were together for the past five months and were continuously arguing.

The man, they said, was always jealous of any attention Griffin received from the opposite sex and that was the cause of most of the almost daily arguments. The women lamented that Griffin’s killer was arrested by police after the two got into a heated argument recently but was later released.
Griffin’s killing was one of three which occurred between Tuesday night and yesterday morning. In the other killings, police are clueless over the motive for the murder of Alyrio Sergio Howard.

Police reports are that around 8.50 pm on Tuesday, Howard, 35, of Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Petit Valley, was driving east along Carlton Avenue, St James, when a Nissan B-13 stopped in front of his Hyundai Elantra. Two men came out and shot him several times before driving off. The car was later found abandoned. Speaking at the FSC yesterday, his mother, Lorraine Howard, said her son was a loving young man who had recently returned from abroad after completing his studies. He had two children aged two and six  and was an accountant with Sagicor.

An unidentified aunt called on the media to highlight the ills of society so that they could be addressed. She added her nephew’s murder was “a sign of the times in T&T,” adding: “T&T is not becoming a nice place. It really isn't.” In the other killing, homicide detectives say they are reviewing closed circuit television footage in the hope of apprehending the killer/s of Shane Harper.

Police said around 11.30 pm on Tuesday, residents of Belmont Circular Road heard several gunshots and called the police. When police arrived they found Harper, of La Canoa, Santa Cruz, dead at Carr Lane, off Carr Street, Belmont Circular Road. Police are unsure of a motive behind his killing. With the three murders the toll is now 94. The figure for the same period last year was 113.

Terrible situation... BTW, she was 28 with a 13 year old child???

[Deeks]

she was 28 with a 13 year old child???

Meant she "molested" at the age of 15.

[Deeks]

I watching the close up shot of the pavement. Imagine we used to play barefeet on that long ago. Jeez!

[Flex]

Man drowns near Hyatt
T&T Newsday

Depression and problems at home may have been why Satyam Mahabir, 32, apparently committed suicide on Thursday evening by jumping into the sea near the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain.

Mahabir, a resident of Cipero Road, Golconda Village, San Fernando, was reportedly walking along the ledge by the Waterfront shortly before 8 pm on Thursday when he jumped into the sea.

Persons who witnessed the shocking incident contacted the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG), which then dispatched Coast Guard Interceptor 021 to rescue Mahabir.

TTCG Public Relations Officer, Lieutenant Commander Kirk Jean-Baptiste, told Newsday “the interceptor responded with divers on board and at 9.45 pm, a body was retrieved from the water and handed over to the EHS (Emergency Health Services), who attempted to revive (Mahabir) but were unable to do so.”

This is not the first time such an incident has occurred at the Waterfront.

The body of Chinese national, Xiao Suc Hao, 22, was found floating near to the fountain on Monday, June 29, 2009 two days after he jumped into the sea near to the Breakfast Shed.

Eyewitnesses said the young man, an employee of Shanghai Construction Group, had his hands clasped when he jumped. When his body was retrieved, his hands were said to be still clasped, as if praying.

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FIND HONG’s KILLER
By Marlene Augustine and Ryan Hamilton-Davis
Thursday, April 9 2015

The murder of Chinese businessman, Hi Hong Huang, on Tuesday in Curepe is generating widespread fear among the Chinese community in Trinidad and Tobago, and has also triggered a round of diplomatic talks scheduled for today between resident Chinese Ambassador Xingyan Huang, and Minister of National Security, Brigadier General Carl Alfonso.

Ambassador Xingyan is going into the discussions with the Minister further to his initial reaction yesterday to the murder: “Find the killer, and bring the killer to justice as soon as possible, for the murder of Hong Huang.”

Hong, 35, was fatally shot on Tuesday outside his businessplace, Happiness Supermarket, off the Southern Main Road, Curepe, as he was entering his premises from a panel van he had just parked with a large sum of money in a box.

CCTV cameras showed Hong being wrestled violently to the ground by a man who approached him from the pavement and who was seeking to grab the box. As Hong and his attacker wrestled on the ground, another man approached and loud explosions were heard. The two men were then seen escaping with the box containing an undisclosed sum of cash as Hong stumbled toward the building. He was assisted by an employee of the supermarket and taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), Mt Hope where he succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy revealed yesterday that the businessman died as a result of a single bullet to the chest.

In a statement issued yesterday Ambassador Xingyan, disclosed he would meet with Alfonso today over the local crime situation.

Alfonso, who was at the sitting of the Parliament to discuss the Police Regulation Amendment Bill, confirmed he will meet today with the Chinese Ambassador to discuss this most recent murder of a Chinese national in Trinidad and Tobago.

“With me will be a member of the Police Service as well, to be able to give him any updates as to what is happening as far as investigations go,” Alfonso told Newsday.

Alfonso expressed regret at the recent killing, saying, “I have concerns, about the killing of anybody, including a Chinese national. I’ll speak with the Ambassador. I want to hear what he has to say, and how best we can deal with it. I’m just as saddened as the Ambassador is. I want to offer my condolences to the family on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Ambassador Xingyan’s statement also noted the Embassy has the responsibility and obligation of ensuring the Chinese nationals’ legitimate rights and interests, including their safety, are being properly protected.

The statement revealed that since Tuesday’s murder of the Chinese businessman, the Embassy has been receiving calls from Chinese nationals living in TT about their concerns over crime in the country.

The statement read, “Around 2,000 Chinese nationals are living in TT. Since Tuesday, the Embassy has received phone calls from Chinese communities, Chinese companies and many local friends. They all said they were very frightened, saddened and concerned, and hoped that justice could be done as soon as possible.” The statement indicated that when the Ambassador heard the news of the murder, he was very shocked, and immediately visited the family of the victim.

He expressed his high concern to “pertinent authorities of TT”, requesting the TT Government to find and bring the killer to justice.

The Embassy noted the murder occurred in broad daylight which added heavy clouds about the current safety of all the other Chinese nationals.

It added that the safety of Chinese nationals has been under threat recently in some areas, where cases of stealing and robbery often occurred, and went on to warn Chinese nationals living in Trinidad and Tobago of “safety hazards.”

Hong was the fifth Chinese national to lose his life to crime in Trinidad and Tobago.

Last year, at a press conference Ambassador Xingyan mentioned that several Chinese nationals had been robbed in recent years, often at gunpoint, while four were murdered in 2012.

On January 14, 2012, 22-year-old Yu Quan Ue was stabbed to death at a restaurant in Chaguanas. On July 12 of the same year Wu Xiuhua 60, and her husband Jianhua Yang, 60 were shot in a restaurant in Cunupia. Xiuhua died on the scene while her husband, Yang, succumbed the following day to his injuries while at the EWMSC. Later that year in October, Chang Xiao Feng, 33, was shot dead in Barataria. No arrests have been made in any of these murders. Reactions by relatives outside the Forensic Science Centre, St James yesterday underscored the concern of the Chinese community over the rate of police detection, especially when it comes to murder cases.

“The entire Chinese community is very disturbed and taken aback by this latest incident,” said Abrahim Ali, former president of the San Juan Business Association. He added that they reflect on the past murders of Chinese nationals for which no one has been arrested.

He added, “They are hoping with the amount of information and evidence in this murder, that something happens,” said Ali, a friend of the deceased for ten years.

The proprietor of a chain of supermarkets, Hong had been a resident of Barataria years before he had opened his first supermarket. He was described as a humble, polite and easygoing person who assisted the less fortunate in his area on a daily basis.

Hong left behind a wife and three children. According to Ali, the family is in shambles after learning of the man’s murder.

“His wife is totally distraught and very shaken-up” said Ali.

Although there had been no arrests up to press time, police have retrieved the CCTV footage of the incident and, according to homicide officials, enquiries are being conducted.

In his television programme yesterday, Inspector Roger Alexander suggested to the two bandits that they turn themselves in since television cameras had exposed their faces to the elements.

“We are not begging,” Alexander said,“We are giving you an opportunity to come and come quick.”

He cautioned business persons about the steps they take to secure money.

“Now there were some mistakes made and we do not want the same to be done across the board,” Alexander continued. “You have large sums of money, yet you choose to move around with it, money in box here, money in box there and then you are carrying it in one location to count the money.”

Yesterday, the grocery where the murder occurred was opened for business. However, according to employees, there was a significant drop in the number of customers.

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Safety officer killed 2 hours after shift ends
T&T Guardian

A 56-year-old health and safety officer at the Piarco International Airport was found murdered in Carenage less than two hours after he left work on Monday night.

Western Division Police made the grisly discovery shortly before midnight Monday, when they responded to an anonymous report of a dead body seen at the side of the road at Raymond Street, Carenage.

When they arrived they found Gerald “Figaro” Stone, of Bonasse Village, Cedros, lying across a drain near the roadway with his head touching the pavement. Residents told police they had not seen Stone in the area before, but saw a gold Nissan Almera speeding out of the community minutes before his body was discovered.

Stone, who had two wounds to his chest, was pronounced dead on the scene by a District Medical Officer (DMO). A post-mortem performed at the Forensic Science Centre (FSC), St James, yesterday revealed he was stabbed to death.

Speaking with reporters outside the FSC yesterday, Stone’s friends and relatives said they were still in shock from the news of his murder. They described him as hard working and nonconfrontational.

“This man, what they do him that for? I have known him for over 20 years, he was a hard-working and loving man.

“He was just a pleasant man. Always reading his Bible, always friendly. He was a real gentleman and he didn’t deserve this at all,” a friend who asked to remain unidentified said.

Homicide detectives are yet to establish a clear motive for his murder but have ruled out robbery as his wallet and its contents were found in his pocket. But they believe Stone was killed elsewhere and was already dead when his body was dumped in Carenage, as there was very little blood on the scene.

Police are expected to interview Stone’s co-workers and friends to determine where he went and whom he was with between the time he left work and the time his body was found.

The murder toll for the year stood at 110 up to late yesterday.

Investigations are continuing.

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Sex ‘accused’ killed in Arouca
T&T Guardian

Homicide detectives are investigating the death of Isiah Jackie, who was beaten and shot and his body dumped at Jitman Drive, Arouca.

According to police reports, around 1 am yesterday officers attached to the Arouca station were called by residents who claimed that Jackie, 25, was being beaten by villagers. Some time later the officers found his body in a bushy area off Jitman Drive. He was beaten and shot, police said.

Police said Jackie, of Sunset Drive, Arouca, was accused of sexually assaulting someone recently and that may have been why he was killed.

In an unrelated incident, relatives of murdered teenager Renaldo Hill said yesterday he was no gangster and they were clueless as to who would want him dead.

According to police reports, around 6.45 pm on Saturday, Hill was at Waterhole, Cocorite, when he was approached by a group of men, one of whom he knew. One of the men pulled out a gun and shot him. He was rushed to the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital where he died while being treated.

Police said Hill’s killing was linked to the shooting of Brandon Lutchman on April 8 in Cocorite. Lutchman is a suspect in the murder of David “Sprang” Wilson, who was murdered one week before Lutchman was shot. Relatives of Hill, who spoke with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, said Hill had taken six weeks off from school to enlist in an electrical installation course.

He was scheduled to resume classes at the Mucurapo Secondary School yesterday.

[Flex]

Woman shot while walking
By Jensen La Vende (Guardian).

Cops start patrols at Lady Chancellor…

Police say they will be increasing their patrols along the Lady Chancellor Hill, St Clair, after a woman was shot while walking along the popular training spot.

According to police reports, the woman, who will not be identified because she is currently in a home for battered women, was walking down the hill around 10.30 am yesterday when she was attacked.

The woman told police she noticed a man bending over as if he was tying his shoe laces as she was walking along the road. But when she got close to the man, he grabbed her by her shoulder and shot her once in the leg. The man then jumped into a white Nissan Tiida and drove off.

Police said the woman could not identify her attacker, but told them she believed that it may be linked to her being at the home. Following the shooting, the woman was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where she is currently warded in a stable condition.

PC Hinds of the St Clair Police Station is continuing investigations

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, public information officer of the T&T Police Service, ASP Michael Pierre, said the police would increase patrols at the popular training spot. However, he denied the increased police presence was due to the fact that wealthy persons lived and also exercised in the area.

Cricket legend Brian Lara and business mogul Arthur Lok Jack live in the community.

“When things like this happen patrols are usually heightened in the area. There are a number of people who jog and exercise along the roadway, so there is that need to assure them that the police have things under control,” Pierre said.

Meanwhile, police are also investigating the murder of Jason “Point” Williams Jr, who was shot in his car a mere 100 metres from his Augustine Lane, Belmont home on Thursday night.

According to police reports, Williams was ambushed by a gunman while driving his Nissan Wingroad along Belle Eau Road around 7.45 pm. Williams, a garbage truck driver and part time PH taxi driver, was on his last trip for the night when he was killed.

Police said a woman and her child were in the back seat while another woman was in the front seat when the gunman opened fire. The car was found crashed into a wall with Williams slumped over onto the front passenger seat. The gunman calmly walked away after the attack.

Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, Williams’ sister-in-law, Joy Phillip, described him as an easy-going man who usually didn’t go into the Belle Eau Road area. She said Williams was the father of two boys, seven and 13.

Grace Phillip, Williams’ wife, said the 38-year-old had just moved back into the family home two months ago and was focused on caring for his family.

Phillip questioned why Williams was killed, as he was not in any gang or affiliated with any gang and had moved out of the area initially to remove himself from a war between two rival gangs in the community who sought to claim him as one of their “soldiers.”

“He was about his family and providing for his family so he had a good reason not to get involved,” Phillip said.

In an unrelated incident, police said 27-year-old Hassani Wharwood was killed during a drug deal that went sour on Thursday. According to police reports, Wharwood, of Sixth Avenue, Malick, Barataria, was in a Toyota Yaris with Nathaniel Guerra along Pundit Street, El Socorro, San Juan, when a gunman approached and shot the duo. Wharwood, a labourer with the San Juan Regional Corporation, died at the scene while Guerra was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Complex, Mt Hope, where he is currently warded in a stable condition.

The killings have taken the murder toll to 119 for the year. The toll was 143 for the same period last year.

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Husband gunned down as wife runs for help
By Kevon Felmine (Guardian)

Cops probe Claxton Bay murder

A Claxton Bay woman narrowly escaped an encounter with a gunman who took the life of her husband yesterday even as she ran for help.

Police say Super Industrial Services Ltd (SIS) supervisor Vijay Basdeo, 35, was preparing for work at his Abraham Street, Claxton Bay home around 5.30 am yesterday when he walked into his garage, and was approached by a gunman.

Basdeo was ordered back to the house and was forced to tie his wife Feroza Mohammed’s hands with duck tape. He was then taken to a bedroom where he too was tied by the gunman.

Mohammed was able to free herself, but as she ran to neighbours for help, Basdeo was shot once in the head.

Even though she heard the gunshot, it was only when she saw undertakers removing her husband’s body that she believed that he was dead.

Comforting words from relatives and neighbours did little, as she sat in front of her home, crying loudly.

Cops question motive

Central Division police did not reveal much, saying that they needed to protect the witnesses.

“We are looking for a man who left the scene in a blue coverall with an orange stripe and we have certain leads that we are working with and I really don’t wish to disclose it for the safety of the people involved. So far, the villagers are assisting us well, it seems to be a close-knitted community,” Sen Supt Johnny Abraham said.

“Looking at what happened here, I don’t want to believe it was a robbery because if you really come to rob a family, I don’t think you will duct tape them and then shoot someone in their head without resistance. He was found in a bedroom with both hands and feet tied."

He said this was the fifteenth murder in the Central Division for 2015.

SIS link?

Police are probing whether the murder was work-related as his attacker was seen fleeing his home in a coverall resembling those worn at the company.

Among the dozens of colleagues who gathered outside Basdeo’s home, some debated whether Basdeo's murder was connected to his place of employment.

One supervisor said that it could have been a grudge created by someone who was laid-off after working on a plant shut down.

But the victim’s younger brother Kashav said while there were speculations that the murder was work related, his brother had no enemies nor did he complain of any problems.

“Vijay was a very loving and caring guy. At work he was stern, but respected. He worked there for 15 years and if he was facing a problem and did not talk anybody, he would have come to me. Vijay always looked like things were bothering him with work because he was a workaholic, a person who cherished his work over other things,” Kashav said.

“One of the other supervisors said that because they work with SIS and they have a lot of shutdown work, they tend to hire a lot of people and lay them off as the shutdown is done. He said that is the only way he sees a grudge being made. Other than that and from talking to some of his co-workers, Vijay did not have arguments or any quarrels with his co-workers."

[Flex]

Five employees held in car dealer’s murder.
T&T Guardian Reports.

Less than a month after used car dealer Mark Mohammed was shot dead in front of his wife and seven-year-old son, five of his employees were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the crime.

The group of men were arrested by detectives of the Morvant CID at Mohammed’s business located off the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Macoya. After receiving information about the suspects this week, the officers led by Senior Supt Radcliff Boxhill and Sgt Raymond Austin searched the premises and found a loaded 9mm pistol. 

The men, of Piarco, Tunapuna and St Helena, were then handed over to detectives of the Region Two Homicide Bureau and were being interrogated at the Arouca Police Station up to late yesterday. The illegal gun was taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James where ballistic testing will be done to determine if it matched spent shells recovered on the scene of Mohammed’s shooting. Mohammed, 26, was shot dead as he drove his Mercedes Benz into the driveway of his Ross Street, St Helena, home.

Mohammed was returning home with his common-law wife Adana Lalla and their young son. Lalla was also wounded in the shooting but survived, while the gunman spared the child.

Investigations are continuing.

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$75,000 bail for mom charged with killing son
By Sascha Wilson (Guardian).

A Couva magistrate yesterday advised that young mother Alisha Hilaire, who is charged with unlawfully killing her 18-month-old son, receive counselling. Hilaire, who is four months pregnant and has twin sons, ages four, was granted $75,000 bail with her mother and aunt as surety when she appeared before Senior Magistrate Lucinda Cardenas-Ragoonanan.

The 20-year-old mother has been in custody since her son’s death almost two weeks ago. She is accused of unlawfully killing Rojel Jeremiah Hilaire Farrow on May 17 at Exchange Lot, Couva. The child was pronounced dead on arrival at the Couva District Health Facility. An autopsy found the child died from internal bleeding caused by blunt force trauma. She was charged by PC Harripersad.

Asking for reasonable bail, her attorney Joseph Honore said Hilaire dropped out of school in Form Four because she got pregnant, lived with her mother and worked temporarily as a store clerk. While the accused was in custody, he said, she was hospitalised because of anxiety and asthma. Given the circumstances in the matter, her age and being a first-time offender, Honore asked that she be granted reasonable bail so she could be reunited with her sons who are attending pre-school.

Court prosecutor, acting Sgt Wayne Waite, said he did not have any recommendations. Asked where her children were, Honore said they were staying with their father at his Gasparillo home. Given the sensitive nature of the matter, the magistrate suggested that social services got involved and that she got psychological help.

“It is not just a simple situation. Victims and even accused persons ought to be put in a position to handle the matter as it goes along,” the magistrate said. After putting the mother and aunt as surety and explaining to them their responsibilities in terms of ensuring she attends court, the magistrate advised them to also seek assistance from the Victim Support Unit.

The magistrate also asked a state prosecutor, who was present in court, to expediate the process of appointing a state prosecutor in the matter. The matter was adjourned to June 26.

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Pensioner killed in home invasion
By Kevon Felmine (Guardian).

Unaware that her husband had been stabbed to death by bandits, a wounded Dolly Sooknanan sat on the floor next to his body waiting for him to awake from his sleep. Police said Sooknanan, 86, was in a state of shock after bandits broke into their Spring Trace, Siparia home, sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning and stabbed both she and her husband, Balkaran Dookie, 76, before ransacking the house.

Up to yesterday she was being kept under police protection while undergoing medical treatment. Dookie’s son, Mukesh, who lives a few houses away, said he was working at Quarry Village, when around 11.30 am his wife called and said the neighbour had not seen his father and stepmother for the morning.

Knowing that the elderly couple routinely sit in their porch for breakfast every morning, he said he immediately went to check on them.

“I went by the house and I called out ‘mammy’ and she answered and said come inside and see if I could wake up the old man, she don’t know what wrong with him. I went inside the living room and I saw him slumped in a recliner with a stab to his chest. He was already dead and she had blood on her face and like she got stabbed on her back and chest too. I went outside and called 999 and the police came,” Mukesh said.

He said when he asked Sooknanan what happened, she first replied “It was a lady and two men,” but later on, she said someone just dropped him (Dookie) there. Although the house was ransacked, Mukesh nor the police were able to say whether anything was stolen. Mukesh said his father had no quarrels with anyone, adding that Dookie lived with Sooknanan for the past three years.

Confused over the killing, he said even if bandits wanted money they could have got it easily from two elderly people. “Yesterday morning I shaved his head because tomorrow was their big day. They had to collect pension so both of them would have gone to do that.”

[Flex]

GRANDPA, 73, KILLED
By Cecily Asson
Monday, June 1 2015

A vicious knife attack yesterday morning on an elderly couple at their Siparia home has left a 73-year-old grandfather dead and his 78-year-old common-law wife barely alive, nursing stab wounds in hospital.

Balkaran Dookie, a pensioner of Spring Trace, Quarry Village, Siparia was found motionless on a couch in his living room with multiple stab wounds to his chest. Seated on the floor next to the couch where the dead man lay, was his common-law wife Bhanwarie Ramoutar still alive but bleeding from her stab wounds, crying out for help. Police said she was stabbed three times in the chest and twice to the back.

Investigators suspect robbery may have been the motive; they are however yet to determine what items, if any, were taken from the couple’s home.

The murder has shocked the close knit community as grieving relatives and neighbours described the couple as “peaceful and loving village elders” who were always kind to everyone. Many say they knew them since they were children as they each ran separate businesses in the area. Dookie and Ramoutar have been together for eight years.

According to a police report, at about11.49 am, officers led by Supt Jimmy Palloo, Sgts Corrie, Jitmansingh and PC Sahadeo responded to a report of a stabbing in Quarry Village. Upon arrival at the house, officers found the elderly man on his couch in the living room and his wife was next to him on the floor, both of them with stab wounds. An ambulance was contacted and the woman was taken to the Siparia District Health Facility where she was attended to and transferred to San Fernando General Hospital.

The District Medical Officer viewed Dookie’s body and ordered its removal to the hospital’s mortuary for transfer to the Forensic Science Centre, St James today where an autopsy is expected to be performed.

Grieving relatives and neighbours lined the streets and looked on in horror as police carried out their investigations.

Newsday was told the couple had been living together for the past eight years. Ramoutar once operated a bar in the village and sold the property and she and Dookie built a house next door to where she once ran the business. Two of Dookie’s sons also live in the house.

Speaking with Newsday yesterday, a female relative said she was contacted by neighbours who informed her they had not seen the couple for the morning and became concerned.

“We were calling the phone but no one was answering,” the woman told Newsday. “Everyone thought something had to be wrong because they had a routine and would sit every morning in the gallery.”

The relative continued: “I came and when I went and saw what happened, I got frightened and ran back out and went and get my husband. His (Dookie) wife was bawling out for help as she sat on the ground next to him.”

They said they observed the gate was half-way open as well as the front door.

Relatives told Newsday, every evening the couple usually locked their gates at about 5 pm and retired to their living room where they would watch television until they were ready to go to bed. Ramoutar is still recovering from a stroke she suffered some time ago.

A neighbour asked, “Who would want to do these nice people such wickedness. They are people who once you go by them they offer you something to eat, real nice old people.”

Two of Dookie’s daughters, Pavwanti Ramsingh and Shanti Ramsamooj, wept uncontrollably when they arrived on the scene.

Ramsingh collapsed after viewing her father’s body, others screamed as the hearse drove off. Dookie was the father of seven, grandfather of 27 and great grandfather of 30.

Officers of the Southern Homicide Bureau are continuing investigations in the murder, the 157th for the year.

[Flex]

Boyfriend kills girlfriend over computer chat
By Richardson Dhalai (newsday)
Sunday, June 7 2015

A 22-year-old Princes Town woman was brutally chopped by a man she allegedly had an on/off relationship at her Knolly Street, Princes Town, home on Friday night.

According to reports, at approximately 10 pm on Friday, Samantha Darbasie, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on May 31, had returned to her two-storey home when she was allegedly attacked in the front porch by a man wielding a cutlass. The man reportedly dealt her several chops about her head and face. Darbasie fell to the ground in a pool of blood.

The man then went into the house where he reportedly hung himself from a concrete beam with an electrical extension cord.

Darbasie was later pronounced dead at the scene and her body removed to the San Fernando mortuary while the man was identified as Clayton Charles, 30, who was originally from Basse Terre, Moruga.

When Newsday visited Darbasie’s home yesterday, blood stains could still be seen in the yard leading to the house while there were still more blood stains on the front door.

Darbasie’s mother, Cheryl Darbasie, 52, who was in a state of shock, recalled that relations between her daughter and the man seemed to have been normal after an incident involving the use of a tablet computer earlier on Friday evening.

“She was always on the tablet and he wanted to know who she was talking to so I told her to give me the tablet because I didn’t want any bacchanal,” Darbasie said, adding her daughter left sometime later to go by a neighbour to assist with fixing her hair.

Darbasie said she too left the house later in the evening to go by a nearby parlour and while there, another neighbour ran up the hill to inform her that her daughter had been killed. “It was a shock. I said no because she was by a neighbour when I left home.” Darbasie added that when she returned home, her daughter was lying on her side in a pool of blood with a large chop wound across her face.

She said her daughter, who was born in the United States, had wanted to return to New York.

“She was a sweet person,” her mother said. Meanwhile, at Charles’ Moruga home, his mother, Joanne Charles seemed to also be in a state of shock over the incident saying she had last spoken to her son on Friday evening and had told him to return home if he was having problems in his personal relationship.

She said her son, whom she described as soft spoken, had previously confided to family members that he was having “woman problems” and had also been told by them to return home.

“I told him to come home and he said he was coming home, up to Friday I told him to come home,” Charles said, though noting that Darbasie seemed to be a “cool person” who had previously visited her home.

“Nobody knows what caused this and there is nothing I can say that would bring him back and all I can say is may he rest in peace,” she said.

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Father, son murdered
By JANELLE DE SOUZA (Newsday).

Family and friends of Dominic and Wendell Robinson were thrown into a state of shock and mourning yesterday when the father and son were found dead, covered in blood at Wendell’s home at the Heights of Guanapo Road, Arima.

The bodies of Wendell “Green” Robinson, 37, and his son Dominic, better know as Ryan, 15, were found when friends, workers at a nearby quarry, decided to stop by to say hello at about 12.30 pm yesterday.

According to police reports, the men were shot several times in the head and about their upper body in the early morning, at about 4 or 5 O’clock. Police believe they were both asleep when they were executed as the bodies were found on a bed with no visible signs of struggle.

Dominic’s mother, Camille Woodley, told Sunday Newsday her son left their Hamilton Siding, Wallerfield home on Friday at about 4pm on his bicycle to visit his father at Heights of Guanapo Road, as he did almost every weekend. She said, as he usually did, he had called her just before he lost service on his cell phone to let her know he was safely on his way to his father’s home near the quarry.

Dominic’s brother, Akiel Woodley, said many of the men near their home were often involved in illegal activities which Dominic wanted no part of, so he would visit his father at the Heights of Guanapo whenever he could to get away from it all.

“He was a really caring, loving, respectful child. He was everything to his father and his father was everything to him,” Camille said, voice quavering, with tears in her eyes.

She said even if he was hungry, Dominic would go without food to give someone else. He also loved sports and would cycle, throw the javelin and even played for the Coryal Secondary School badminton team. In addition, he liked to work and would “hustle” at the quarry on weekends for extra money even though his father would provide everything he needed, she said.

Camille said she and Wendell were together for 16 years and even though they separated three years ago, they had an amicable relationship. She described him as a good father, not only to Dominic but to her two older sons as well.

She said Wendell would often carry coffee and food for his coworkers at the quarry as he too worked there, in addition to doing security work at night.

She said the family was shocked, not only because Wendell and her son were such friendly, kind people, but because the area in which he lived was very quiet and isolated, so the family never expected crime to touch the father or son.

The “quarry road” leading to the concrete house where Wendell lived was a 25-minute drive on a rough, winding road from the Eastern Main Road in Arima. The house is without electricity or pipe borne water and far away from any neighbouring houses.

There were, however, several dogs in the yard. Woodley said Wendell loved these dogs dearly and he would spend at least $200 in groceries every month in order to cook for them.

“I know he (Wendell) is not a killer. He is too soft-hearted for that. So soft hearted that people would dig out his eye and take advantage of him. For him to die like that, that person is real cruel,” she said.

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Bandits kill cop’s brother in robbery.
By Kevon Felmine (Guardian).

With his feet and hands bounded, Barrackpore father Ramcharan Maharaj was helpless as he was shot dead by bandits who invaded his family home early Monday morning.

Police said Maharaj, 45, the brother of Cpl Vishuamath Maharaj, was asleep at his home at Cunjal Road while his wife Amelia, 37, was preparing breakfast and his son, Gabriel, 17, was in his bedroom.

Around 2 am, when Amelia, a traffic warden, opened their front door, she was ambushed by two bandits, one with dreadlocks and the other with a gun.

The bandits tied up the family using plastic straps before filling several bags with jewelry, cash, perfumes, wallets, purses and cellphones.

They also took two television sets. Before leaving, the gunman shot Maharaj in his right temple and escaped in his silver Toyota Corolla car, which was later found abandoned in Lengua.

Recalling the incident yesterday, Gabriel, a form six student of Naparima College, San Fernando, said his father, a truck driver at Gosine Enterprises, had to leave home at 2.30 am to reach a quarry in Sangre Grande.

He said he was chatting on the phone with his girlfriend when one of the bandits walked into his room.

“As my mom opened the front door and turned around, two men came in and pushed her on the couch.

“It was like they were waiting outside for her to open the door. I was on the phone with my girlfriend and I heard mumbling outside, then someone opened my door.

“I turned around a few seconds later, I saw a man and he said ‘Soldier, turn around.’

“I put a pillow over my head and turn over, and he took a tie strap and tied my hands together.

“He closed the door and went outside where he had already tied up my mother and father.

“They came back to my room, ransacked it, emptied all the compartments in my wardrobe, took all my gold, clothes and perfumes.

“I heard when a man asked my mother where the car keys were and she pointed them out on the wall.

“They started the car and I heard the back door closed. As I came out to see about my mom, the man said ‘Soldier, go back inside,’ so I went back to my room and he tied my hands and feet together behind my back.

“A few minutes after I heard a gunshot and a car driving away. My hands were sweaty because I was nervous so I wriggled my hands out of the tie-strap and went to help my mom.

“When we went inside the next room, we saw my dad lying in a pool of blood,” Gabriel said.

Maharaj’s father, Kissoondath Maharaj, 72, believes it was not a mere robbery and his son knew his killers.

He said having robbed the family, there was no reason to shoot his son who was tied up in his bedroom.