A Springlands, Upper Corentyne farmer was murdered during the wee hours of yesterday morning at Rampoor Village, Corriverton and it is suspected that his assailant/s had been after his winnings from a gambling game.
Nigel Leslie Matthews, 49, a farmer of Lot 14 Springlands, was discovered with seven stab wounds about his body at James Street, Rampoor Village, Corriverton, around 3 am yesterday.
The police have since arrested two males, who are accused of carrying out the attack. They are said to be from Rose Hall, Corentyne.
Stabroek News has been told that one of the persons in custody has claimed that they were gambling when an argument erupted between Matthews and the main suspect, after which Matthews left and returned with a bottle and threw something in the main’s suspect face.
The eyewitness is claiming that he then jumped into his car after which the main suspect and another person followed him into the car. He said they were driving along the public road when the main suspect told him to stop the car and rushed after Matthews. A fight then ensued and he proceeded to stab Matthews in his chest and returned to the car. The main suspect allegedly told the eyewitnesses after returning, “Me just dun he dance.”
Malcom Hernandes, a pensioner, who resided with Matthews, said that on Sunday afternoon he returned home and noticed that Matthews was on a drinking spree. He said Matthews later left “to go on the road” and promised to return 30 minutes later.
Hernandes said that around 10 pm he left home and returned after midnight and saw their house door was still padlocked as Matthews had not returned, which seemed odd. “When one a we come home we does bolt the door from inside so whichever one come last does call to open door but I say it unusual that the door had padlock,” he explained.
He went to bed but was later awakened by a relative, who informed him that a man was found fatally stabbed in Rampoor Village. “We go with his brother and niece and from the road through the shortcut. We could a see the cycle. And when we go in and hold he, he cold so I tell the niece go for the police right away,” he added.
Meanwhile, according to Nigel Matthews’ brother, Dominic Matthews, of Springlands, Corentyne, they were told that after having some drinks, the now deceased man ventured out to the road, where he gambled and won some money. He said they were told that the persons he won the money from then allegedly attempted to steal his winnings while he was returning home which led to his death.
According to the dead man’s brother, they found it odd that he was imbibing on Sunday since he had stopped drinking for a short while. His brother said, “He get an injury on his foot, so he did stop drinking and he had to go today to do an operation on it at New Amsterdam Hospital.”
However, he added, that his brother would gamble whenever he was intoxicated.
Matthews had no children, his brother said.
