Police are continuing the search for the prime suspect in the murder of 43-year-old Claudine Bentham and her relatives yesterday expressed the hope that he will be captured and punished for what he has done.
A senior police officer told Stabroek News yesterday morning that the woman’s boyfriend with whom she was last seen is the suspect and investigators are still trying to locate him. He said that there have been no other leads or developments in the case.
Bentham’s mother Claudette told this newspaper yesterday that the suspect who was seen two Friday nights ago arguing with her daughter has not been seen since he revisited the area a few hours later that day.
“I am confident that we will find him. I am a church member and I believe in God,” the grieving woman said.
Meanwhile, Bentham’s funeral will be held later this week.
Bentham, who lived on Hadfield Street, was discovered with her throat slit on the Kitty seawall on July 3. Relatives positively identified her three days later.
Relatives had said that following an argument in the Leopold Street area during which the woman was asking the man to hand over something he had for her, the couple left.
Bentham’s brother, William Alfred had said that he became aware of a relationship between his sister and the “tall man” (the suspect) about a month ago. He said he had known the man for about seven months from the Albouystown area. The man lived in Kitty.
He recalled that two days before the woman was killed the two had an argument and he tried to make peace between them. They subsequently left the area.
According to Alfred, around 10 pm the following day, the man who appeared to be confused, asked him for Bentham.
He recalled telling him that he hadn’t seen her since they left the previous night and noticed that there were dried droplets of blood on the man’s hand and foot.
