A mother of three was left critical yesterday after she was stabbed during an attack by her ex-husband early yesterday morning at Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
Yunicka Stewart, 24, a salesgirl, of Bagotstown, EBD, was stabbed several times about her body and bludgeoned to her head during the attack, which occurred around 8 am at Cow Pen Street, Eccles, EBD.
She was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she remained a patient up to yesterday in a critical condition.
Kevin Smith
The suspect, who has been identified as Kevin Smith, known as ‘Trini,’ 32, a labourer of Bare Root Enterprise Road, East Coast Demerara, fled after the attack. He was not apprehended up to last evening.
Stabroek News has learnt that over the past two months, the couple, who relatives said shared a nine-year relationship, had been experiencing domestic problems, which resulted in Stewart moving with her children from her partner’s house. Smith later sought the intervention of the authorities for the custody of the children, but he lost. Stewart eventually started a relationship with another man, which reportedly aggravated Smith and resulted in him making threats to her.
Around 7.30 am yesterday, Stewart went to the home of Smith’s aunt, Sherry Rhobe, at Eccles to lodge a complaint about the constant threats she has been receiving. She met Smith there and a subsequent argument on the street escalated and he allegedly attacked her.
When Stabroek News visited the scene yesterday, bloodstains were visible along the street. A shallow drain in which Stewart fell after she was attacked was also filled with blood.
The police were also seen combing the area for the suspect.
Meanwhile, Rhobe explained to this newspaper that she received a call from Stewart early yesterday morning and she invited the woman to her house. Several minutes after, Rhobe said, she received another call, this time from Smith, who also told her that he wanted to speak to her. As a result, she invited him over as well.
“So they both came. We had a discussion. She [Stewart] never mention anything about the infidelity, nothing. All wah she say, ‘Aunty, Trini seh he going at some obeah man fah meh and please stop him.’ Ah seh Trini don’t go to nobody. Leave this girl. This girl done move on with her life and please left this girl alone,” Rhobe related.
She said prior to yesterday morning, she was not aware that Stewart had moved on and was living with someone else.
Rhobe said they both subsequently left. “So she [Stewart] start coming out and he
(Smith) coming out tuh and she held on his clothes and start tearing it up and she tell him, ‘don’t guh to the obeah man I guh come home back.’ So he tell she that she lie but how I look at it, I didn’t see it was that much serious. I thought it was just a you know they gun mek up back and whatever. ’Cause he didn’t look so serious. Because how she did tugging him around and he ain’t doing she nothing, so I just say is just like a playful, childish something,” she further explained.
Rhobe said the couple left and went on the road. Several minutes later, her son, Mark, called and informed that Stewart had been stabbed.
‘Didn’t know’
Mark explained to this newspaper that after the couple left his mother’s home, they continued talking. “…They end up talking, tugging up one another and they just seh is alright them gon just get over them thing but I didn’t know it woulda end up suh bad… When them reach through hay now [Cow Pen Street], ’cause them come out ah the back street, he start stabbing she up in she neck, back and thing… I didn’t see nothing wah he had in he hand and suh, so I don’t know where the scissors appear from wah he use,” he said.
He added that although she was stabbed, Stewart attempted to escape but eventually collapsed and she was dealt several blows to her head. “He [Smith] start stab she and she end up falling in the drain and she end up walking staggering like, you know, and he was on the corner. He collect a piece of wood back from the corner and come back and start lashing she in she head like couple well times and she didn’t moving at all,” Mark said.
Several residents yesterday said they witnessed the attack and wanted to intervene but were fearful of Smith turning on them. “…You know peacemaker does end up and get caught in the act nuff times tuh,” Mark said.
