“Bitter” Property feud may have led to killing

Jul 02, 2011 News

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Police are questioning the son of auto dealer, Harry Persaud Ramsaywack, of “TransPacific Motor Spares” as they follow leads which suggest that a property feud was the motive behind Thursday night’s execution-style killing of 72-year-old Clementine Parris, called Clementine Fiedtkou.
Kaieteur News was told that the young man was arrested some time yesterday morning after Fitzroy Fiedtkou, the brother of the slain woman, took the police to Ramsawack’s Robb Street business place. He claimed that the businessman’s son had made a financial offer to him in connection to his sister’s property. The son was still in custody at press time.
Kaieteur News understands that Mr. Fiedtkou alleged that the businessman’s son said that the property in which his sister resided now belonged to his father and they have documents to prove that the property is now owned by the family.
In his statement to police, Mr. Fiedtkou alleged that the businessman’s son offered him money “to rent a place”, since the houses on the disputed lot would be demolished.
But when police questioned him yesterday, the businessman’s son denied offering Mr Fiedtkou money. However, he reportedly admitted to speaking to Mr. Fiedtkou about the property.
Mrs Parris was expected to make a court appearance some time next week for a hearing into her application for prescriptive rights.
She was shot dead around 19:45 hrs on Thursday by a gunman who climbed her stairs and on seeing her, emptied his handgun in her direction.
The woman’s foster sister, Gloria Loncke, explained that the family had begun living at the Robb Street home some 40 years ago and it was her mother who began renting the premises.
Mrs Parris according to Loncke, began living in the home some 10 years ago, only moving there after her husband died. The woman had lived in Linden where she owned and operated a restaurant.
Kaieteur News was told that after the original home owner died, the homeowner’s granddaughter who resided overseas gave Mrs Parris permission to stay in the house since the family had no intention of coming back to Guyana.
Loncke recalled that a few years later a woman claiming to hold a “Power Of Attorney” surfaced and stated that she was contracted by a relative to start collecting rent.
According to the relative a few months after Mrs Parris started paying the rent, she enquired from the “Power Of Attorney” to see the requisite documents before she continued paying.
Loncke said that this woman made the claim that the documents were lost, and it was at this point that Mrs. Parris stopped paying her any rent.
Fast forward to 2008, and the woman said her sister made the first payment of outstanding rates and taxes. By then she had started to apply for prescriptive rights.
According to the relative Ms. Parris sought the advice of an attorney who channeled her in the direction to start filing for prescriptive rights.
The dead woman’s sister said this was when all the threats began. According to her the owner of Trans Pacific Motor Spares, Harry Persaud Ramsaywack, approached them and claimed ownership.
“He came and said that he owned the property and that he would see that we move out” the sister said.
Yesterday, Ramsaywack said that he bought the property about three years ago from Pete’s Real Estate, owned by Rajcoomar Persaud. Dolly Sookdeo represented Pete’s Real Estate while Raj Poonai represented Ramsaywack.
Rajcoomar ‘Pete’s’ Persaud said that he acquired the property from a woman who claimed that she had power of attorney for the property and that he sold it almost immediately after acquiring it.
Relatives suspect that it was the same woman who had tried to extort money out of Mrs. Parris.
According to Loncke, a few months later the son of the businessman approached her brother and offered to buy the property.
Now one would question the fact that if the father said he owned the property, why would the son come and make an offer to buy it?
When contacted yesterday attorney at law Sandra Kertzious, explained that her client had filed for prescriptive rights for the property.
According to her there were three notices published in one of the daily newspapers. The lawyer said that a hearing was scheduled for some time soon..
Kaieteur News further understands that attorney at law Raj Poonai, who represents Ramsaywack, filed an appeal challenging the bid for prescriptive rights. However this newspaper understands that no reason, no ownership claims or any grounds for the challenge were stated.
Upset relatives yesterday gave various instances when the woman received threats. According to a relative some time ago the woman was beaten unconsciously by an unknown assailant.
“They said it was a junkie who beat her…Why a junkie gun come just so on her steps to beat her?” the relative lamented.
Another threat, according to the relative, was three weeks ago when someone called saying that they will burn the house down with her inside.
Relatives yesterday said that there are reports at the Alberttown Police Station because the woman reported every threat she received from various persons.
Mrs. Parris was expected to leave for the US in August to visit a daughter. The woman is survived by two daughters one of whom resides in the United Kingdom. There are also her brothers, one of whom was a witness to the shooting.
Police Sources yesterday ruled out robbery as a motive, since the killers did not even attempt to enter the building and relatives are certain that she was the victim of a cold-blooded execution.
Police recovered a bullet that was embedded in a wall of the victim’s home.
Eyewitnesses said that the gunmen, who appeared to be extremely young, fled west up Robb Street in a silver-grey car. The vehicle reportedly turned north into Cummings Street.
Kaieteur News was also told that persons fitting the description of the gunmen were seen ‘circling the area’ in the same car for two consecutive days before the execution.
The brutal killing was witnessed by the victim’s brother, Fitzroy Fiedtkou, who was on the front step when the gunmen struck. He lives in a house behind his sister’s, but had reportedly gone over to her for a meal. Another male relative was also in the house at the time.
A shaken Mr. Fiedtkou said that he was sitting on the front step at around 19:45 hrs when two young men entered the yard and began to climb the stairs.
“They say, ‘where auntie?’ and I ask ‘who auntie?’ and they say, ‘Auntie, nuh.’”
According to the brother, one of the men then ordered him to ‘get up.’
“I say, why I got to get up, I got a bad foot’, and he (one of the men) put his hand around me and lift me up.”
He said that just then, his sister came out of her bedroom and stepped into the hallway. Mr. Fiedtkou said that the same intruder who had grabbed him then drew a handgun from his waist and shot his sister.
The elderly man said that he grabbed the gunman’s hand but the killer’s accomplice shoved him. The gunmen then ran out of the yard and drove away in a nearby car.
Mr. Fiedtkou said that he immediately ran outside and summoned a taxi driver who was parked near Robb and Light Streets.
They then took the seriously injured woman to the GPHC where she died shortly after.

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