A Santa Mission man is now in police custody after allegedly stabbing his cousin-in- law to death early yesterday morning following an altercation at a ‘wake’ house.
Dead is 42-year-old Joseph Jaundoo, called ‘Teddy’ of Santa Mission, Kamuni Creek, while his alleged attacker, 22-year-old Trudy Samuels,
also of Santa Mission, remains in police custody assisting with investigations.
According to reports from the village, the men were imbibing alcohol at a ‘wake’ house’ in the community where ‘jokes’ were reportedly made. The ‘jokes’ were not taken lightly by Samuels, and there was an altercation between the two men. Persons parted them, after which Jaundoo proceeded home.
However, a resident said, the incident did not end there as Samuels, who was said to be armed with a knife, allegedly followed the victim home and subsequently stabbed him several times in the region of his heart.
Not long after, Jaundoo was picked up and transported to the Diamond Hospital, several hours away from the village. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
The resident further stated that the incident came as shock, since to the best of everyone’s knowledge, the men got along well prior to the incident.
Meanwhile, when Stabroek News spoke with one of the dead man’s sisters, Juliet Jaundoo, she explained that while she cannot say for sure what took place, her family is still trying to piece together why her brother’s in-law would have attacked him like that.
She went on to explain that her brother, originally from Sea View, Berbice, had migrated to Santa Mission several years ago where he was gainfully employed at the Arrowpoint Nature Resort, a short distance away from the village as a boat captain. She noted that her brother had met his wife in the village and they had three children together.
The grieving sister related that her brother was the fifth of seven other siblings before going on to describe him as a good brother and a “gentle person,” who was liked by everyone.
Jaundoo leaves to mourn his wife and five children, the youngest being three years old.
According to a statement issued by the police last evening, “at around 1 am on Monday, Joseph Jaundoo of Santa Mission… was involved in an altercation with another man at a wake-house at Santa Mission during which they were separated and Joseph Jaundoo went home.”
It went on to say that a little while later, he was attacked by the man while he was on the stairs of his home and stabbed about his body.
The suspect has been arrested and is in police custody assisting with the investigations, the statement added.
According to the dead man’s sister, a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted on her brother’s body on Wednesday.
