After ruling out robbery as the motive for Thursday night’s execution of Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris, investigators are pursuing the idea that she was killed over a property dispute and they have held an employee of a city business for questioning.
The man is being extensively grilled by police after reports surfaced that he recently demanded that Fiedtkou-Parris, 72, vacate her home with him even offering to pay her rent. The woman’s property was the centre of a bitter court battle between her and the business, police sources confirmed to Stabroek News yesterday.
Fiedtkou-Parris was shot by one of two men who visited her Lot 42 Robb Street home on Thursday night. Two men, one of whom was armed with a gun, went to the woman’s home and enquired for her around 7:45 pm, police said. As she came out of her bedroom, she was shot several times to the upper part of her body. The men then jumped into a waiting motor car while the injured woman was rushed to the Georgetown Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after.
A police source told this newspaper yesterday that investigators have ruled out robbery as the motive, as no demands were made and nothing was taken during or after the shooting. The source said that from all appearances the woman was killed for her property.
Stabroek News was told that information gathered so far is that someone pretending to be the owner of the woman’s property sold it to a city business several years ago. When Fiedtkou-Parris discovered what had been done, she took the business to court.
According to the source, last week, the elderly woman won the court matter and was scheduled to collect some documents regarding her win sometime next week. The source added that recently an employee of the business went to the home and demanded that the woman remove since the house belonged to the business. The employee even told the woman the business was willing to pay her rent. However, the woman refused to leave her home and according to the source this may have angered the owners of the business.
The source said that following the woman’s murder, investigators contacted the employee but he denied he went to the woman’s home and asked her to move. However, one of her relatives is telling the police that that conversation did occur. According to the source, investigators are looking at all angles in the case and are hoping to make a breakthrough soon.
Meanwhile, when Stabroek News visited the home, relatives had gathered and were offering their support to the woman’s brother, Fitzroy Fiedtkou, who lived in a house behind the disputed property. The elderly man, during an interview with this newspaper, confirmed that there was a court matter over the property before stressing that it was not between her and any family member.
“We got a court thing. De thing deh in court for over two years. It ain’t got nothing concerning de family. De family ain’t got no fighting over nothing. I could tell you that de family ain’t got no fighting with no property or no nothing. All of we does live good, we don’t war and cuss up with one another,” the man said.
Asked if someone was fighting her for the property, he said “is something like that. Possibly. I don’t know.” He could not provide details on the status of the court case. According to Fiedtkou, he and other members of his family have owned and occupied the two properties for in excess of 40 years.
“Everything that deh hey is she own,” the man stressed.
The man said that he hasn’t received any new information regarding the case. “We don’t know what really tek place. The thing look like magic to me up to now, because they just come up blap, blap,” he said. He recalled that he was sitting nearby when his sister was just shot, after which the gunman and his accomplice ran down the stairs and fled in a car.
“They ain’t attempt to do me anything. I hole de gun. I hold de one chap hand with de gun because I thought when he din swing back they woulda shoot me after I see deh shoot she, ’cause I went right there,” he added.
The man noted that investigators revisited the scene yesterday morning and found a warhead in a wall. He noted that his sister was afraid to stay alone after she was attacked by a man several years ago. He said that due to this, he would keep her company sometimes until the wee hours of the morning.
Residents said yesterday that for three days, two strange young men were seen driving around the area in a grey car. At one time, a resident said, they parked near the woman’s house. From all appearances the men were investigating the easiest entry and exit points.
Moments after the shooting, relatives had told Stabroek News that she had been threatened repeatedly. About two to three years back, the woman was badly beaten by a man at the same house but fought back valiantly. No one was ever charged in the matter.
Since this attack, relatives said that they encouraged her to relocate but she refused.
