A 14-year-old girl died last evening while receiving treatment at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) after being stabbed approximately 16 times by her stepfather, who up to press time late last evening, continued to elude capture by police.
Police yesterday reported that the girl, identified as Shondella Samuels of Plastic City, Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara was fatally stabbed by her stepfather, 63-year-old Fitz Josiah, during a family misunderstanding.
Her mother, 45-year-old Mildred Josiah, also received a wound to her left hand for which she required and received stitches at the WDRH.
Mildred Josiah said the verbal altercation was sparked after a male individual contacted the family demanding money for the return of a cellular phone. She explained that she had sent her nine-year-old son, Jeremy Rose, to collect a phone from a shop which provides charging services. The phone was snatched by from the boy as he was making his way home.
The woman said after the family was contacted, Fitz Josiah began arguing with Samuels, calling her names and making threats. She said Samuels, refusing to back down, kept responding to her stepfather’s abusive submissions, which caused him to get even more upset. The young woman, in response to the threats said she would go to the police to make a report.
Upon hearing this, Fitz Josiah proceeded to lock her in her room, and instructed everyone to stay in the house. Undeterred by these actions, Samuels reportedly opened a window and called out to a neighbour, who went over to see what was going on.
“When she come over he tell she that nobody ain’t going nowhere and he lock back the door,” Mildred said.
She added said that her husband then started to imbibe alcohol as he sat in front of his stepdaughter’s room and continued the argument.
Rose said that as his father became more and more enraged by Samuels’ responses he charged her door armed with a knife, which he had retrieved from a nearby cabinet. He was however temporarily stopped by her mother. Mildred said that her husband, in an effort to get past her, turned the knife on her, slashing her left arm.
The woman said that after she was cut she immediately ran to the door to raise an alarm. “I run outside fuh get help cause I tink if I did stay in deh he wudda kill all ah we.”
With his only obstacle gone, Fitz Josiah entered the girl’s room and stabbed her several times.
Rose unfortunately saw part of the attack. He said he saw his father stab his sister twice to her side before he turned and followed his mother through the door.
Together, Mildred and her son ran through the streets of Plastic City crying for help. The woman said that as she left the house she heard he daughter begging her to come and rescue her from her stepfather.
Mildred, however, said that she dared not turn back since she thought her only hope of helping her daughter was to raise an alarm. The woman was convinced that if she had not left the house with her son, all three of them would have been killed.
She said that a large group of neighbours, upon hearing her cries, banded together and went to the house. By the time they arrived there Fitz Josiah was gone and Samuels, who was lying on the ground motionless, was rushed to the WDRH.
The doctors at the WDRH reportedly did their best to save the girl but to no avail. Mildred said she was told that her daughter was stabbed at least once to her heart, which made saving her very difficult. Samuels’ reportedly died a few minutes after doctors began tending to her wounds.
While at the hospital, another of Mildred’s daughters said that her mother had been warned on several occasions about the abusive nature of her husband. “Ah sorry fuh talking to yuh like this mommy, but how much times we talk to yuh mommy, how much times we ask yus is what yuh doing with the man?!” the daughter lamented.
Stabroek News understands that the family had resided in Linden before moving to the community about six months ago.
