Investigations into Robb Street fire reach dead end

Mar 09, 2015 News

…legal battles developing over property

Almost five months after a fire that killed 15-year-old Theresa Rozario, her 12-year-old sister Feresa and their father Hilrod Randolph Thomas, police investigators are no closer to getting to the bottom of the matter.
From all indications, the fire was the work of arsonists but investigators appear to have no clue as to who the perpetrator is.
Days after the blaze occurred, the rubble was cleared and construction began on renovating the property which is on a prime commercial location, but police say they have no information that can lead to those who committed arson or orchestrated it.
‘A’ Division Commander, Clifton Hicken told this publication yesterday that the investigation has been moving slowly since the police have no further leads. He said that no new information has come up in regards to the matter, but the force continues to investigate.

What the location looks like now

Meanwhile, relatives of the victims have not given up hope and have taken avenues to find whatever justice they can. Jeffery Thomas, brother of the now dead Hilrod Thomas, told Kaieteur News yesterday that he personally has not pursued the matter.
However, he said that his sister, aunt to the dead girls, has engaged the services of attorneys at law Mortimer Coddett, Euclin Gomes and others to address the issue.
The fire occurred in the wee hours of November 18, last year. The story is that the injured Thomas was residing in the Robb Street property for years, but had received warning that he should vacate the building.
The property’s original owner is said to be deceased. His death reportedly stirred a bitter feud over the property’s ownership. A named businessman was detained following the fire, and his lawyer, Glenn Hanoman had reported that his client has responsibility for the burnt out property, since its original owner had left documentation for him to oversee the location.
Hanoman had added that while reports stated that Thomas owned the property, he (Thomas) was actually trespassing. Hanoman was also waiting for the police investigation to be completed because it was quite possible that the “old” building could have been a fire hazard.
At the scene of the fire, Kaieteur News was told by the mother of the dead girls that she had tried to take her daughters away from the father because it was not the first time that someone had tried burning the building. Rosemary Rozario was convinced that the fire was no accident since the family had an idea who was responsible. She maintained that it was someone known to the family because the father had a problem with another man who was claiming the building. She said that the first attempt did not destroy the property and Thomas remained there with the girls.
However, another side of the story is that the businessman, who is claiming responsibility for the property, allegedly obtained the documentation by fraudulent means. It is said that following the original owner’s death, Thomas claimed that the property was given to him by the gentleman but he had no evidence of this. It was later realized that the property then had “no legal owner” and illegal documents were made to obtain the prime commercial location by the businessman.
Further information now states that the wife of the dead owner has gotten wind of the matter and is making steps to reclaim the property. Unconfirmed reports are that the woman who resides in Canada has hired attorney-at-law Robin Stoby from the law offices of Hughes, Fields and Stoby to challenge the documents produced by the businessman. The publication was, however, unable to make contact with that lawyer.
Business at the disputed Robb Street location is nonetheless ongoing. There are at least two separate businesses that operate there and from the looks of things, the establishment is being made into a commercial complex.
A sex worker operating in the vicinity of the St George’s Cathedral had said that two men in a car had circled the area before kicking a door open and setting a fire that failed to ignite in the first attempt. They returned shortly after and lit another fire before escaping. This time it quickly engulfed the building, trapping the sleeping occupants inside.
The sisters were trapped during the fire, but the father was able to jump through a window. Their charred remains were discovered by rescuers when the blaze was finally put out.