Weeks after she decided she wanted to end the abusive relationship she was in, a 28-year-old La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara woman was allegedly stabbed to death by her common-law partner shortly after returning home on Friday night.
Dead is Tacina Dazzell, a mother of one of Lot 46 Ujamma Housing Scheme, LBI, ECD.
She was stabbed multiple times about her body during the attack, which occurred around 23.35 hrs.
The suspect, who has been identified as 36-year-old Quincy Roache, a businessman and proprietor of Go Local Guyana Inc. is presently in police custody at the Sparandaam Police Station. He surrendered to the police at the Turkeyen Police after fleeing the scene.
Reports are that the couple shared a common-law relationship for more than two years and they would often have domestic issues. The police said none of the previous incidents were ever reported.
In a statement yesterday, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) said investigations revealed that Tacina’s cousin, who lives next door to her, was awakened by her screams on Friday night.
The cousin opened her door and she saw Tacina running out of her yard and onto her bridge, the police said. She collapsed.
The suspect then left the house and joined a minibus. He later surrendered to the police.
When Stabroek News visited the scene yesterday, traces of Tacina blood’s could have still been seen on the bridge where she collapsed. The house was secured and crime scene tape was still wrapped around the gate and house.
At her parent’s home, which is a short distance away from the crime scene, relatives and friends had gathered as they expressed shock about the tragedy.
Tacina’s father, Owen Dazzell, yesterday told Sunday Stabroek that he last saw her at a church fair they attended together on Friday night. He said Tacina left before him. She was accompanied by her son and her cousin, who lives next door to her.
“My daughter would have entered her yard before her cousin…When she got in, the cousin gone in and lock up and maybe just like a couple of minutes after the neighbour next door heard the hollering and when she look out, she saw my daughter running out of the yard. She was running to the cousin that she went with but when she meet to the cousin gate, the gate was locked so she could not have gone further. She run and hold on to the gate and she collapsed,” Owen explained.
He said he was still at church when he received a call from his wife. “My wife call me and tell me ‘Come quickly! Tacina get stab up!’” Owen related.
Upon receiving the news, Owen said he rushed to the scene but by time he arrived Tacina was already dead. “My daughter was already dead. She was clad with blood. Her entire clothing was blood. I bent over her, looking, calling and no response. So I confirm to myself she is already dead,” the father told Sunday Stabroek.
Had enough
The house that the couple occupied was rented by Tacina. Tacina’s son is from a previous relationship.
According to Owen, Tacina and her mother shared a close relationship. About three weeks ago, he said she expressed to her mother that her relationship wasn’t “bearing any fruit” and she wanted to end it.
“For her, she thought that the relationship wasn’t going anywhere… She (Tacina) told her mother she wanted to end the relationship because it’s not bearing any fruit. She said she had enough of this,” he said.
Owen further explained that the couple would experience domestic problems from time to time. About a year ago, he said, Quincy allegedly abused Tacina.
He said Quincy had moved out afterwards but eventually made his way back into Tacina life. “Not often. She talked about once where he hit her. She asked him to move because she is the one who is renting the place. He did but subsequently he came and found and ended up back in the relationship,” Owen said.
Meanwhile, the dead woman’s mother, Alison Dazzell said she was overseas for some time and upon her return Tacina called her and asked if she could come over to her place.
Alison agreed to the meeting and during a conversation Tacina confided in her. “She (Tacina) said she was feeling as though she in too much confinement and she realised that she made some mistake so she think she want to free herself from the relationship,” Alison said.
According to Alison, Tacina told her that she was going to tell Quincy she wanted to end the relationship. “I told her, ‘You don’t ever tell a man that you are going to leave. If you want to leave him,’” Alison said.
The mother said she encouraged Tacina. “I said everybody make mistake at times and you are young and you could still get out,” she related.
Not comfortable with returning home, Alison said Tacina was looking for a place to stay after she ended the relationship. “She felt it was too close (to the suspect). That he would have still come so the next option was to look for a place which she was in the process of doing,” Alison told this newspaper.
Tacina was also looking for another job. However, Alison said Quincy reportedly threatened to move out of the house if she did. “He pack his things but he never move,” she said.
Premeditated
Owen told Sunday Stabroek that he believed that his daughter’s murder was planned. “I think it was premeditated because of the guy (Quincy) mentality. First thing, he is very jealous, very demanding if not commanding and kind of hasty,” he said.
Tacina previously worked as a clerk at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Unknown to her family, Owen said, Tacina was forced to leave her job because of Quincy. “He talked her out of the job for some reason. I don’t know if it was a threat of what but she end up leaving the job and that was unknown to us,” Owen related.
Tacina’s parents eventually confirmed she was no longer working after a letter from her workplace was sent to their address.
Alison said Tacina told her that Quincy wanted her to leave her job so that she can join his business fulltime. “She said after a week into business she realised that she made a mistake,” Alison said.
According to Owen, the suspect’s actions did not surprise him. “I kind of see this coming but not so early. The fact that she wanted to end the relationship and my observation of his temperament and so on, I see that this was coming,” he said.
Owen said he wasn’t sure what to do to avoid things from escalating to this extent. “I am still asking myself what could I have done…? This guy was very adamant about what he have in mind or plan to do….It was premeditated. That was my gut feeling,” he related.
Tacina’s son is currently in the care of his biological father.
