Police are actively pursuing several leads in the investigation into the murder of Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris but are sill to make a breakthrough.
A source told this newspaper yesterday that following the arrest and subsequent release of an employee of a city business who had reportedly demanded that Fiedtkou-Parris, 72, relocate from her Robb Street home, no one else has been held.
He said too that there “is nothing new in the investigation” but ranks are checking some information about the killers’ getaway car.
The source said that searches are being conducted in several areas for the vehicle. Police have received some useful information about the vehicle, which residents had seen around the area in the days preceding the killing.
A post-mortem examination will be performed on Fiedtkou-Parris today.
Investigators have ruled out robbery as the motive for last Thursday night’s execution-style killing of the elderly woman and are pursuing the idea that she was killed over a property dispute.
The employee was held after reports surfaced that he recently demanded that Fiedtkou-Parris 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 had confirmed to Stabroek News.
This newspaper 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 a source, the elderly woman won the court matter and was scheduled to collect some documents regarding her win.
The source added that after she was recently approached by the representative of the business about relocating, the woman refused to leave her home.
The source said that it was following the woman’s murder that investigators contacted the employee but he denied he went to the woman’s home and asked her to move out.
However, one of her relatives is insisting that the conversation did occur.
The woman and relatives have been occupying two houses on the property for in excess of 40 years. Her brother, Fitzroy, had confirmed that the woman was involved in a property dispute but made it clear that it was not with and family member. He did not reveal much about the issue or the court proceedings.
He stressed that the woman owned the house and everything in it.
Fitzroy was at the house when two men came asking for ‘auntie’ around 7:45 pm last Thursday. As she came out of her bedroom door, which is opposite the front door, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot her several times to the upper part of her body.
The men then jumped into a waiting car while the injured woman was rushed to the Georgetown Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after. The men did not make any attempts to harm Fitzroy or demand that he handover any valuables.
Residents had said that, 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 Fiedtkou-Parris 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.
