Three violent murders in one week

Jun 25, 2017 Features / Columnists, My Column

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There is no shortage of excitement. Three people died violently this past week and the evidence is clear. People still have no regard for human life. It all began when a man killed his wife in the most brutal manner.

The reports are that the man had gone to Suriname for whatever reason, leaving his wife and their five children behind. Something happened and he was reportedly deported to Guyana. I could only suppose that people would return to the place they know under such conditions, so the man went back to the home of his reputed wife.

Neighbours talked about infidelity, but the man’s daughter put the situation in perspective. She said that after her father left for a number of years, her mother simply moved on with her life. Sometimes I wonder why women would acquiesce to their former partners when everything seemed to be at an end.

Eyewitnesses would say that the man bludgeoned his wife in the head with a stool. As she lay on the ground the man reportedly queried, “You ain’t dead yet? Like you hard fuh kill.” People were standing by, some said because they were afraid to intervene. He then used a chopper for effect. He is reportedly still at large.

All this happened in Berbice where the second killing took place in the most unlikely of places.—the prison. Two accused killers are taken to jail. On their return they are pounced on by three men and stabbed. One of them died.

The authorities would later say that the two victims, both of them brothers, are known bullies in the jail. They would attack anyone who crossed them. This time around, one of their attackers, himself in jail for murder, would later say that he got word that the brothers had planned to kill him. He claimed he heard them shopping around for a stabbing implement.

I am aware that there are constant sweeps in the prison. Just a few years ago in the same New Amsterdam prisons there was a riot that saw an inmate losing his fingers. There was an inquiry that revealed that some prison officers were complicit. For a few dollars they would return seized implements to the prisoners.

I am sure that despite some of the officers have been transferred, they have been replaced by others equally corrupt. One may contend that the officers are not paid as well as they would like, so they would seek opportunities to make extra money.

In this case, two accused killers put out the word that they wanted a stabbing implement and word does get around. So it was that the intended victim found out and used the knowledge to his advantage. He and his colleagues bided their time until the two brothers entered their enclave and attacked with deadly effect.

What I can’t seem to understand is why would a man who is in prison for murder not hesitate to add another murder to his name. I can only suppose that it is because they have grown accustomed to their environment and they know that they would not be executed. The other victim of this attack is in hospital and would probably have to be moved from that prison for his own safety.

The third murder was discovered just outside a South Sophia woman’s backdoor. The victim was a mere eight years old.

Someone spotted the body in a swampy area and raised an alarm. It is here that things get interesting. There is the report that when a child spotted the coat on the victim’s back and tried to use a stick to reel it in, the homeowner shouted at him. However, word went out and others made the discovery.

People began to ask how was it that the homeowner did not notice the body outside her backdoor. They also wanted to know who would kill an eight-year-old who exhibited so much promise.

The area is known for its electricity theft so initially, there was the thought that the child had come into contact with a live wire and died. But it was all left to the post mortem, which concluded that the child was murdered.

The post mortem concluded that something was stuffed into the child’s mouth then someone choked him. That could not have been a fight, but it could have been a ritual killing. In this day and age there are people who believe that they must take a life to improve theirs.

I did read about one such killing in Berbice. A woman named Fullington went to the gallows for the death of a girl named Lilowattie. She was found in the pit of an outhouse. I also remember the late President Forbes Burnham represented Fullington.

One day I was sitting with him in his office, years after Fullington was hanged, and he still believed that the woman should not have been hanged, not because of her sex, but because there was not enough conclusive evidence.

There were other ritual killings, and I can say that those who perpetrated them did not improve their lives one jot. What I can say at this time is that peace is prevailing in this community after the murder. There were no arrests at the time of writing, but I am certain the police would take some people into custody.

So we have had three deaths this past week, all of them violent. I wish I could say that there would be no more but then again, this is Guyana, and we have some sick people in our midst.

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