Cheryl Bess, the widow of murdered city council employee, Andrew Bess, says she is done “running behind” the police in her quest to get justice and is adamant that she wasted the last 14 years pursuing the case.
“The police deh drain meh. They mek ah get tired and frustrated…and down courage,” the woman told Stabroek News, while fighting back tears.
On October 30, 2004, city council employee Andrew Bess, called ‘Fineman’ and ‘Troy Bess,’ and his wife were in their home in Postal Housing Scheme, North Ruimveldt, when five unmasked men, armed with guns, forced their way into their house, which adjoined their grocery store. They were held at gunpoint by the men. After fatally shooting Andrew Bess in the chest, the men escaped with $62,000 and some gold jewellery.
Enice Barnwell, a South Ruimveldt man, was charged with the murder on March 15, 2005, after he was allegedly identified as one of the invaders. He was, however, released about a year later owing to the lack of evidence.
The trail got cold after that as the police apparently had no leads.
In early 2017, the widow and her children got a glimmer of hope that justice was near after word got to them that one of the alleged shooters was in police custody.
However, in less than 24 hours, the man was released from custody without any intense questioning. With that development and the fact that so much time had passed, Bess was fearful that her husband’s killers would never be caught.
Bess had told this newspaper back in Apil 2017 that it was her daughter who spotted the alleged shooter and called her. Whenever the man sees them, he would quickly disappear.
The police at the nearby outpost was informed and the man was detained and later taken to Brickdam Police Station for questioning.
It was a recent visit to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), the woman told Stabroek News, that pushed her over the edge. She said that the Chairman, Justice (rtd) William Ramlall, was not receptive.
Bess explained that she ended up there based on the advice she received at the government’s public day event, which was held at the Square of the Revolution several weeks ago.
According to the widow, while at the event, she met a PCA investigator who advised her to visit the Brickdam office. She visited the office on April 8 and said Ramlall was brusque with her. She said that the chairman repeatedly said that in keeping with Section 8 of the Police Complaints Authority Act, he could not deal with the matter.
Section 8 deals with complaints to the PCA and states that “any person who has reasonable grounds to believe that a member of the Force is guilty of any misconduct may make a complaint to the Authority…”
According to her, Ramlall kept asking her why she waited 14 years to go to the Square of the Revolution. She said that she made numerous efforts to defend herself but “he wasn’t giving me no time to talk.” She said that she tried to explain to him that she has been pursuing the matter from the beginning and even attempted to show him newspaper clippings of the articles which were published over the years.
Bess alleged that Ramlall responded that the police do not deal with the media and their reportage.
The widow told Stabroek News that she felt her presence there was justifiable as she believes that the police investigators are deliberately dragging their feet.
She said that the statements she and her daughter gave last July and the file it ought to be in, have seemingly vanished and her efforts to get answers have been met with resistance. “Suddenly, they can’t find the statement…That is why I end up at Cuffy,” she said, recalling that she had also visited the Brickdam Police Station. All that she was told is that the file cannot be found.
“All over ah go…the killer is related to a police (officer) and that is why it deh how it is…Ramlall telling me (how) that is speculation and that this not under his responsibility,” she said before repeatedly stating that she will no longer be pursuing the matter and now leaves it in God’s hands.
“I am finish…that is it, ah totally fed up of the police dem,” she stressed.
