A Pepper Hill, Mahdia businesswoman was bludgeoned and strangled to death on Wednesday and her estranged reputed husband is in custody.
Dead is 47-year-old Denise Vieira, a businesswoman and mother of four. According to the woman’s daughter, Felecia Evans, the post-mortem examination which was performed yesterday, showed that she was strangled and sustained blows to the head causing her death.
According to a Guyana Police Force release on Wednesday night, the woman’s lifeless body was discovered on Wednesday between 13:15 hrs and 13:45 hrs at her home. Her ex-reputed husband, Marvin (only name given), 33, a pork-knocker, has been arrested as a possible suspect. The police said that enquiries revealed that Vieira resided in a one-storey concrete structure and operated a small grocery shop in the same building while the suspect, resided in the same yard in a wooden structure. The man’s home is partly fenced off from the woman’s. The police said that the two had been together for about eight years before they separated due to ongoing domestic issues. According to a neighbour’s report to the police, on the date in question at about 13:15hrs, the neighbour was at home and overheard Vieira saying loudly, “get out my [expletive] place, leff me alone.”
Then at about 13:30hrs the suspect left his house and went next door where he was seen hanging out with friends. At about 13:45hrs, a customer went to the shop but the woman did not respond to calls. The person then told the estranged husband, who went to check. He returned and said that he discovered Vieira on the kitchen floor motionless and appearing to be dead with what seemed to be blood oozing from her mouth, nose and about her face. The police said that the man attempted to revive her by shaking her but she was unresponsive and he put her to lie on her back.
The neighbour then made a report of the incident to the police and the woman’s body was examined. Marks of violence were recorded by the police. The body of the deceased was taken to the Mahdia District Hospital where it was pronounced dead on arrival. Mean-while, the man was contacted by police and has since been in custody. The police said that the man denies being involved in the woman’s death. Inves-tigations are ongoing.
Evans told this newspaper that her mother and the suspect separated about two years ago. She said that her mother was verbally and physically abused by the man during their relationship and so decided to move out. She informed that Vieira owns the land while Marvin built the house the couple had lived in. This led her to help her mother with the building of a new house and a shop, separate from the old one. She said that even though the couple had been separated, the man still verbally abused her and often times he would do the same to her male customers. She said that the most recent incident took place about a week ago.
Evans recalled that Marvin saw a male customer at the shop and he started harassing the man. Her mother then told Marvin that he cannot do that because they are her customers. She further argued with the man and even told him to leave the land but she said that the man refuses to leave because he built the first house on the property.
