The death of 13-year-old Kester De Agrella, who was found with a rope around his neck in a washroom at the Charity Secondary School dormitory last September, remains a mystery.
Although suicide was suspected when De Agrella was discovered on the morning of September 20, 2011, there were also serious doubts in light of the manner in which he was found as well as the events preceding his death.
The boy, who hailed from Karawab Village, in the Pomeroon River, was found on his knees with his heavy bag of books still on his back. The rope around his neck was tied around a rafter located more that six feet from the ground. A post mortem examination later performed by government pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh revealed that the teen died as a result of asphyxiation and compression injuries to the neck consistent with hanging. The pathologist, this newspaper was told, was unable to determine if the teen hung himself or if he was killed and the scene staged to make it appear as though he committed suicide.
His parents were among those who suspected that the boy was murdered and his mother, Urani De Agrella, said that he never displayed suicidal tendencies. After travelling to the school upon receiving news of her son’s death, the woman had also pointed out the rope which was around her son’s head was fastened around his ears and his chin, creating further doubt that he committed suicide.
Stabroek News was unable to reach the boy’s parents, but a source close to the investigation said that police are still investigating the case although it was clear that they have to do a lot more work.
Based on the accounts given by the source, the teen seemed in good spirits on the morning he died and persons, including his teacher, described him as “a happy, pleasant child.” The source this behaviour pattern is not consistent with someone who was about to commit suicide.
According to De Agrella’s classmates, he left the classroom during the break period but did not return when classes resumed. It was shortly afterwards that an alarm was raised when students found him in the washroom. The source told this newspaper that the teacher who was among the first to arrive on the scene said in her police statement that “he was on his knees. There was a rope around his neck which was tied to the rafter.” The source said that the teacher also told the police that the child’s haversack, still filled with his books, was on his back. “The position that the child was found [in] was striking. That rafter was nine feet high from the floor of the washroom,” the source explained, while adding that there was no evidence of anything nearby that he could have used to reach it to fasten the rope. It was also noted that no investigation was done to ascertain the origin of the rope.
From all indications, the source said some male students who were expelled from the dormitory just before the incident might be the key to cracking the case but to date no information has been released to the police about their identity or possible whereabouts.
The dorm mother had said in her police statement that De Agrella had a major problem with some of the older boys. At some point the problem escalated and the teen was beaten by the older boys. The source said that as a result of the situation the regional education department intervened and the boys were expelled from the school.
Other students said that De Agrella had been threatened by students who lived at the school’s dormitory, after he had informed the authorities that the males were taking alcohol into the facility. The boy had also complained to his parents that the students living in the dorm often ate his snacks. “To date it is still not clear what the problem was,” the source said.