Bartica murders…Woman had planned to report threat of arson today

Dec 14, 2020 News

---

By Renay Sambach

Kaieteur News – “Only last week, he had threatened to burn her and the children to death, in fact, she had planned to lodge a report with police today.” These were the words of Diana Kennedy, witness to the tragedy of her sister and two nieces being consumed by fire in their house on Saturday evening.
Carolina Kennedy, 48, a housewife and her two daughters, 5-year-old Mariana and 3-year-old Gabriella Kennedy, were identified as the ones who perished in the fire that allegedly set by the woman’s reputed husband and the father of the two children, Kenford Downer, called ‘Tall Man’.
During a phone call interview with this publication last evening, Diana Kennedy said that last week ‘Tall Man’ had threatened to burn the house down, to kill her sister and their children. “She came and she told mommy,” Kennedy said, “and she was advised to not take the threat lightly and to make a report to the police and that’s when she planned to make the report on Monday.”
“Saturday, she looked so happy walking down the road with my nieces, she came to bring something for mommy and then she said that she is going home and do something before this man reach home.” That Saturday afternoon was the last time Diana, her mother and other relatives saw Carolina, Mariana and Gabriella alive.
Diana said for the rest of the day, she felt uneasy and, “Later that day, I was in my bed with my children and I was feeling haunted, haunted. Every vehicle that passed, I was watching out to see is what so I get up and went to the door and then came back inside.” According to the woman, every night her brother would usually pass by her house first and then go to check on Carolina who lived some distance up the road in a bushy area.
“That night when he passed,” Kennedy said, “he called for me but I didn’t answer. Then I went back to the door and I saw ‘Tall Man’ pass but I didn’t take it for anything because he didn’t said anything to me.”

The woman recalled that while she was heading back inside for the second time, she heard her brother’s voice in the distance screaming, “‘Diana, Diana, go now your sister and your nieces deh burning up in the house… ‘Tall Man’ set the house on fire.’ So I started screaming and I run out the house and when I reach, the entire house was on fire and we couldn’t do anything to help, then someone said watch someone skeleton showing there and everybody start holler.”
Diana said that when she saw the skeleton remains of her sister and nieces, even though she wanted to scream, she couldn’t find the strength to, so she just stood there in disbelieve. According to information received, the suspect and Carolina had a misunderstanding after he reportedly caught her conversing with another man and became annoyed. The couple had a brief argument and the suspect reportedly left. However, he subsequently returned with a flammable liquid and matches, which he then used to light the house on fire.
According to a police report, about 21:30 hrs, an unknown caller, called the Bartica Police Station and reported the fire. However, the fire truck was unable to reach the location and a bucket brigade was formed. When the Police and Fire Service arrived, the wooden structure was completely engulfed in flames. After the fire was extinguished, the ranks discovered the charred remains of Carolina Kennedy and her two daughters in the south-eastern corner of the house. The bodies of the victims were subsequently removed and transported to the Bartica Hospital Mortuary.
A search was launched for the suspect and he was discovered in some bushes in close proximity to the house. While he was being placed in the back of a police vehicle, the suspect admitted to the gruesome crime. Based on a video seen by this publication, the suspect could be heard saying, “It overbearing, I can’t bear it no more, I can’t bear it no more budday…you know wuh is it to come home and meet your woman talking to another man and she brother deh right there.”
Downer was then escorted to the Bartica Hospital where he was treated for minor burns to his feet and then taken to the Bartica Police Station and placed in custody.
Kaieteur News understands that Carolina and the suspect had been living together for the past six months and during that period, the woman had made several complaints to her mother about the suspect threatening her when he is intoxicated.
Diana Kennedy told this paper that, “She don’t tell me everything… she usually just tell me that he said this and he said that but she does tell mommy the rest.”
Kaieteur News was told that the suspect was previously convicted for abusing the deceased. According to Kennedy, “While they were living in town, he lashed her on her hands with a wood and she reported the matter and he was in jail for some time, I can’t remember how long he spent in there.”
“My sister was married to someone else and used to live in Georgetown then she left that person and she came back to Bartica and after that she and ‘Tall Man’ started to live together, and that’s when everything happened and lead up to her and my nieces being killed.”

---

---