Natoya Speede, the schoolteacher who was axed to death on Friday night at the Bartica Airstrip, was a victim of domestic abuse and had only ended her years-long marriage with her attacker several months ago.
Thirty-seven-year-old Speede, a resident of Lot 34 Sixth Avenue, Bartica, was murdered in front her children at around 7:30pm on Friday at Five Miles, Bartica-Potaro Road.
She was rushed to the Bartica Hospital where she succumbed while receiving medical attention.
The suspect, her ex-husband identified as Orrin King, fled the scene and attempted to take his own life.
Sunday Stabroek was reliably informed that after searching for almost three hours, relatives and the police were able to locate King about half a mile away from where the incident occurred.
His body bore multiple wounds, which, he reportedly told investigators, were self-inflicted.
King is currently a patient at the Bartica Hospital under police guard. His condition is listed as critical.
The couple have two children, ages 11 and 17 years.
According to a police press release, investigations revealed that King took Speede and their two children to the airstrip under the pretext that they were going on a photo shoot.
Whilst there, he allegedly attacked Speede and inflicted several wounds about her body with an axe.
A relative of Speede, who wished to remain anonymous, told Sunday Stabroek yesterday that the family believes that the incident was premeditated.
The man said Speede was at home on Friday and the suspect kept calling. “He [King] kept calling and saying that he was coming to take them [Speede and the child#ren] for a drive and that he was going to take them to do this photo shoot and when he got there, he just put his plan into action,” he said.
The man explained that during the attack, the children pleaded with King not to kill Speede but he paid them no mind. “The daughter said she kept, after he started doing what he was doing, she started saying ‘please don’t kill my mother’ and the son was saying the same thing…The mother was begging for her life and he didn’t stop,” he said.
Instead, the man said, when the children intervened, they too were hurt by the suspect. “The 17-year-old daughter tried to intervene and was hit in her head. Not seriously but she was. The son was slapped,” the man added.
‘Domestic issues’
The police yesterday said that it was reported that the couple has been experiencing domestic issues for the past couple of months.
According to the relative, Speede and King were married for about six years. The relative said that Speede decided to end the marriage a few months ago due to the domestic abuse she suffered and later moved to live with her sister.
Despite this, the relative said, Speede tolerated King around her for the sake of the children.
The relative explained that before the separation, King allegedly dealt Speede a lash to her head resulting in serious injuries.
The man said the abuse was reported to the police on several occasions. However, he noted that none of the matters ever resulted in King facing any consequences since the family would normally intervene.
“I think they [police] arrested him couple of times but in every situation it was a case of the family intervening and asking them not to proceed and that kind of stuff…I guess she, like women do in these situations, they, after careful consideration, she didn’t want to proceed with any kind of police proceedings against that which pretty much encouraged him to do what he did,” the man related.
He said Speede was not known for “opening up” and speaking about her problems but would keep to herself.
Most times, he recounted, the family would learn about her being abused from persons who witnessed the incidents since most occurred in public. “She kept everything close door. When he hit her, it was in the public, on the streets,” the man stated.
The relative lamented that the issue of domestic violence needs to be taken seriously. He said more emphasis should be placed on how the police respond to such reports.
According to the relative, while Speede was being attacked, her daughter telephoned the police. “It took them an hour after these phone calls for them to get there and whenever she [the daughter] called, they would have told her that they couldn’t have understand what she was saying because she was hysterical and instead of finding out where she was, they kept telling her to call back, they can’t understand what she is saying, which is totally unacceptable,” the man stressed.
He said had the police responded promptly, Speede’s life could have possibly been saved.
“If they [police] had responded to the calls, who knows, maybe she could have been alive today…It takes about 20 minutes driving…and this child said she was calling them for a good hour. Had they gone to that scene, this girl [Speede] might have been alive today,” he added.
The children are currently in the care of a relative. The man said that efforts are being made by the family to speak to the relevant authorities so that the children can receive counselling.
