Sharon Howell, who was stabbed and hammered in a brutal attack at her Freeman Street, East La Penitence home, has regained her ability to speak, which she credits to her children’s insistence that she speak.
It has been over a month since the May 27 attack, in which Howell, 38 and a mother of 10 children, was stabbed multiple times, including in her shoulder, stomach, neck and head. The severity of the attack left the woman in a critical condition at the Georgetown Hospital, but she steadily recovered until she was discharged early last month.
When Stabroek News visited Howell at her home, she was happy to be able to speak again and she explained how her children motivated her to do so.
“We torment she till she talk,” one of the woman’s daughters, 20-year-old Tamica, said as her mother smiled at her.
Howell said she regained her speech on the evening of June 19, while she was relaxing at home. Her children were talking to her, asking that she attempt to call their names. “I try and try to call my small son name ’til it come and, over the next couple days, more and more words start come but the brain still lil slow to pick up all and to write,” she explained.
Aubrey Rodney, Howell’s partner, allegedly stabbed her multiple times, and hammered her about the head with the claw of the hammer. Rodney, who had been in a relationship with Howell for almost two years and is the father of the woman’s youngest child, has since been charged with attempted murder.
According to Howell, the man was further remanded to jail due to his inability to present the court with his passport. She explained that if the document could have been lodged at the court, he would have been granted bail. However, this newspaper was told that the accused has misplaced the passport and as a result, the court refused him bail because of the risk of him fleeing the country.
When asked about what she wants to see happen to her attacker, Howell said she wanted to see justice served. “I want justice to be served… I can’t remember anything from that night but I don’t know why he do it,” she said. Howell noted that a lawyer from Legal Aid has since been working with her as she put her best efforts forward to build a strong case against her attacker.
Asked if she would ever forgive her attacker, Howell told this newspaper, “I already forgave him. I have a forgiving spirit. It is not because I go to church that I forgive him but I just have a forgiving spirit.” Nevertheless, she maintained that she still wants justice, since it was not the first time he attacked her. “I forgive him the first time he chopped me and I regret that now because then this woulda never happen… he never used to trust me,” she added.
Howell said that Rodney worked as a joiner and created beautiful pieces of furniture, though he never built a piece for her home.
Howell said that she has since received various forms of assistance from a few persons, including the owner of Royal Woodworking and the Salvation Army. She remained open to receiving any financial assistance. “My son was forced to drop out of school and start working and I have four more to send to school,” she explained.
