– witnesses saw him lash miner and run off
Vanburn Orlando Hanover’s murderer is still on the run and police were up to late last night on the lookout for the suspect.
Hanover, 33, of Lot 50 Hand-en-veldt, Mahaica was discovered unconscious outside a disco in Mahdia around 23:00 hrs on Saturday, police said in a press statement on Sunday.
A piece of wood, believed to be the murder weapon, was discovered next to Hanover. He died shortly after arriving at the Mahdia hospital.
Ann Doris told Stabroek News late last evening that her son’s body has still not made it to Georgetown and is currently at the morgue in Linden.
Meanwhile, a Mahdia resident told this newspaper that the suspect grew up at the location and is about 21 years old.
“We all know [name of suspect],” the resident stated. “He can’t be hiding far so I think the police will catch him soon.”
The suspect, according to the resident, would just “hang around the landing” at Mahdia and did not have a steady job. However, when he really needed the money he did bits of carpentry and other manual labour.
Several hours before Hanover was found unconscious in front the disco located on Mahdia’s main road (one building from the hospital and opposite the gas station) he had a confrontation with the suspect.
Hanover and another man, the resident said, had been gambling around 20:00 hrs on Saturday. Just after Hanover won a quantity of cash the suspect showed up at the gambling spot.
“This guy that died like he didn’t want [name of suspect] around the gambling spot and he called him a p@#$%,” the resident reported. “Well after he call him that he [Hanover] left and go to this disco.”
The deceased, the resident reported, spent a few hours in the club and as he was leaving the suspect attacked him.
“He [the suspect] been waiting for him [Hanover] outside the disco with a 3 by 6 [width and thickness of a piece of wood] and as soon as he walk out he give him two lashes…they hit him just behind the neck and he drop down,” the resident said.
After the attack the suspect reportedly dropped the piece of wood and fled the scene. There were people in the immediate area where the incident occurred but no one made an effort to stop the man as he fled.
Hanover, his mother had said, left for Mahdia two months ago Doris had told Stabroek News that her son was polite and did not interfere with anyone. He was always there for everyone, she said.