-victim’s family grief-stricken
By Javon Vickerie
Three days after the horrific murder of a 22-year-old seaman, who was chopped about his body in Bonasika Creek, relatives gathered at his home in Unity Village, Mahaica, to hold a wake, while the suspect turned himself into police yesterday.
The victim’s name had been given by police as `Richard’ but yesterday family members said that his real name was Mahendra Narine. The 22-year-old was described by relatives as a hard-working young man who supported his family, including his mother, and was well known among the villagers in Mahaica.
Narine was pronounced dead on arrival at the Leonora Hospital, after he was allegedly attacked by his girlfriend’s reputed husband of 14 years, Davindra Persaud. The woman that Narine was with at the time, Joy Meyers was also chopped about the body and had her left hand severed.
When Stabroek News visited Meyers at the Georgetown Public Hospital in the Female Surgical Unit, she said that she was feeling much better than when she arrived at the Hospital on Thursday night but complained that she feels numbness in her left arm.
She said that since she has been in the hospital she has been visited by a neighbour who brought clothes and other essentials for her.
Meyers also related to this newspaper that she was made to understand from the neighbour who visited that her three-year-old daughter Melissa Persaud, was a patient at the Paediatric Ward, GPHC. The child had been with Meyers at the time of the attack but had not been hurt physically. Meyers said she was also told that a welfare officer said that the child would be taken away from her.
She said that she was unaware why the welfare officer would want to take her child from her, “I am not giving up my child, I am her mother” she declared.
Stabroek News was also made to understand that Meyers’ other four children are in the care of their uncle (Persaud’s brother) in Bonasika.
When Stabroek News visited the family of Narine, relatives and neighbours in the community were seen setting up tents to host a wake in remembrance of him.
Indranie Sookhoo, an aunt of Narine, told this news paper that she last saw Narine last Sunday when he went to the home to drop off a cellular phone for one of his cousins.
Sookhoo also stated that the family received the news of Narine’s death on Saturday morning.
“Me daughter come to me and say that somebody in Bonasika get chop up by dey husband and I tell she bring de papers, that is when I see me sister lying down pon de bed” Sookhoo told this newspaper.
Sookhoo said that what happened on Thursday evening could have been avoided because Narine was warned to stay away from Meyers because she was related to him.
She related that Meyers was constantly abused by Persaud and had left him and their children to proceed to Unity, Mahaica, where they told her that she couldn’t move into the house with the five children because of their financial circumstances at that time.
Sookhoo also said that Narine volunteered to go to Zeelugt on the West Demerara, to collect Meyers who was at the time living by a friend.
She said that one of her sisters got married back in November of this year and Meyers had travelled down from where she was staying at the time to attend the wedding.
She also made mention that during her stay at the home, Persaud arrived and pleaded with her to go back home to Bonasika, promising both her and family members that he would not harm her in any way again.
She said that Meyers refused to go back with Persaud but travelled to Bonasika where the five children were and brought them to Mahaica where they all stayed for the wedding in November.
Sookhoo said that on the day of the wedding, everyone assembled downstairs while they waited for the arrival of the bride. Meyers and Narine were later found together in a compromising position and her sister told Meyers that she could no longer stay there.
“After catching them red handed my sister said to her …what you doing is wrong, then me sister tell her that she can’t stay here anymore, she got to leave, and she go way the same afternoon” Sookhoo said.
Sookhoo said that Narine had told his mother that he was travelling to Zeelugt where another sister lived but they later found out that he had gone to Bonasika with Meyers to live.
She said that after she got the news of Narine’s death she sat in the hammock under the house and cried.
“Richard was a good boy, never had problems with nobody, use to help he mother out and pay he sister school fees for lessons, we just ashamed right now how this whole thing happen”, she said.
Sookhoo further noted that yesterday they went to the Leonora police station where they were taken to the mortuary and identified the body.
