(Trinidad Express) Two months after the death of a police officer in an apartment fire, a 33-year-old woman has been charged with his murder.
Sherwin Lela, 40, died on September 11 at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, a week after suffering burns in a fire at his Oropune Gardens apartment.
On Sunday, the woman, who had a close relationship with Lela, was detained by police in the course of their investigations.
Defence attorney Nicholas Rampersadsingh was retained as her counsel during the matter.
The woman gave statements to police on Wednesday and yesterday afternoon a team of officers from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations met with officials from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Investigators, Express was told, were given instructions to charge the woman with Lela’s murder.
When the matter was first reported, police were told that at around 1.15a.m. on September 3, Lela, his 33-year-old companion and her six year old son were at his apartment at Oropune Gardens, when an argument broken out between the couple.
The police officer asked the woman to leave the house.
At the time, the woman told police that she was in the process of packing her belongings when she smelt smoke and heard Lela scream out. The woman said she ran to her son’s bedroom and they climbed out a window.
Lela, who was attached the CID, Port of Spain, was taken to the Mt Hope Hospital by a neighbor having sustained burns to over 56 percent of his body, including his face, abdomen, neck and back.
Fire fighters from the Tunapuna Station responded. The apartment was completely destroyed.
The woman and child were not hurt.
