The police have arrested one person in connection with the death of Latoya Haywood, who was stabbed on Christmas morning and succumbed to her injuries last Thursday afternoon at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
Region Four Commander Edgar Thomas confirmed to Stabroek News that on Saturday the boyfriend of the suspect was arrested and up to last evening (Monday evening) was still in police custody assisting with their investigations. However, the suspect remains on the run.
An autopsy was performed on the body of Haywood yesterday by state pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh.
The boyfriend of the suspect shares a child with Tenisha Favorite, a cousin of the deceased, who is believed to have been the target of the fatal wound that Haywood suffered.
When this newspaper contacted Favorite yesterday, the woman said that the family was planning Haywood’s funeral but a date had not yet been set.
Haywood, her relatives and friends had partied into Christmas morning at Breda Street, near her Leopold and Cross streets, Werk-en-Rust home. Haywood was said to have approached the suspect’s boyfriend to purchase a drink for her, which angered the other woman. Favorite, who had just moments before returned to her home nearby, said she returned to the party after another cousin informed her that there was a dispute at the party and her name was mentioned. Favorite said she had gone to see why her name was called but her presence only provoked the already infuriated suspect more.
Favorite said the suspect was already angry at her since she is in contact with the woman’s boyfriend about their son.
Witnesses said the suspect whipped out a knife and tried to stab to Favorite while her boyfriend tried to drive them away from the location and she instead allegedly stabbed Haywood, who was standing nearby.
Haywood was stabbed in the region of her heart. She was rushed to the GPH, where she slipped into a coma and never regained consciousness. A CT scan revealed that she was brain dead. The doctors, Favorite said, explained that the lack of oxygenated blood to the brain was the reason the woman remained in a coma. Prior to her death Haywood underwent two surgeries.
