-as birthday party ends tragically
By Cathy Richards
Residents of Laddersville, Aroaima are mourning the tragic loss of one of their star athletes after his throat was slit at a birthday party in the village on Tuesday night.
Howard Bovell, 28, an employee of RUSAL, was fatally wounded to his neck after a fight with a young man who was allegedly molesting the mother of his three children.
When Stabroek News visited the area yesterday afternoon, residents gathered at several locations throughout the community reflecting on the incident. Bovell’s reputed wife, Yonnette Corbis, 28, was being consoled by neighbours and friends. At the time, she was at the night spot where the incident occurred.
Constantly applying Methylated spirits to her face as she wept uncontrollably, Corbis said it was her birthday and she had invited two girlfriends over to the nightspot for a few drinks. The night was going well as she and her friends were drinking and partying by themselves, she related. “Dey had three strange men in de dance. We din know who dey were. One of dem keep touching me on meh shoulder as if he wanted me to dance with him and I keep shaking he off,” she recounted.
Corbis said her reputed husband was there but not too close to her as he wanted her to have fun with her friends and did not want to stand in her way. She said he walked in just as the young man touched her again and he overheard her telling the man, “boy don’t bother me.” She said Bovell approached the man and a fight ensued between the two. “De place was dark and de music was loud so it was hard for me to hear wah meh husband been telling de man but dey start one fighting,” she said. “My cousin tried to part them but meh husband and he just keep fighting. Howie din even know that he get cut.”
She said her cousin managed to pull her husband away from the man after he noticed that he was bleeding heavily. As there was blood all over, it took a while for Bovell to realize that he was bleeding. He was led out of the dance area and took off his jersey and wrapped it around his neck. Corbis said that he was heading to their home, which was just across the road when he collapsed to the ground a few yards off.
Residents quickly put him into a vehicle and rushed him to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC). However, he succumbed to the injury shortly after 2 am yesterday. While on the way to the hospital, Corbis said, her husband was unable to speak and he kept rubbing her thigh. “All a keep telling he is dat a deh right here, a deh right here fuh you. He couldn’t even tell me nothing before he die,” said the tearful woman.
Eyewitnesses endorsed Corbis’ story. However, they added that Bovell was wounded by either the brother or the friend of the man he was fighting with. They said that while the two were fighting, the other two men rushed into Bovell. “One a dem look like he was slapping Howie, but soon as he hand move from he face blood started spraying and is den [name given] and he friend run out of de place,” said an eyewitness.
Stabroek News understands that it took hours for police officers to comb the area and find the men. They were all said to be intoxicated. According to a source, the men are no strangers to the area since they worked as loggers with a private individual but had been out of the area for quite some time. They only returned to the area on Tuesday.
The three suspects were being held at the Maple Town, Aroaima Police Station but were taken to the Mackenzie Police Station late yesterday afternoon.
Bovell was a star sportsman who was well respected by residents of Aroaima. Over the weekend he was the star scorer in the Hand-in-Hand 50-over cricket competition. He was also a popular football player for the Aroaima team.
Bovell had two children, three-year-old Yanesha, and Hollesha, eight months. He was expecting his third child in another six months’ time as his reputed wife is three months pregnant.
“I would never forget meh twenty-eighth birthday, I would never forget it,” cried Corbis. “Whole morning he daughter keep asking fuh she father and I don’t know what to tell she,” she wailed.