A 53-year-old farmer is now in custody over the murder of his reputed wife on Thursday in their yard located at Yakarinta Village, North Rupununi, Region Nine.
Dead is Angelina Mora, a 67-year-old. The incident is reported to have occurred between 15.00 hours and 22.00 hours on Thursday in an unfenced yard with a small house.
Investigations revealed that the victim and the suspect were reputed husband and wife who have been living together in the house for over four years.
According to Almalita Marshall, a 42-year-old housewife and niece of the suspect who lives near the couple’s home, at about 15.00 hours on Thursday, she was in her yard when she saw her uncle physically assaulting the victim underneath a cashew tree in their yard.
Marshall told the police the commotion lasted for about two to three minutes during which period, she saw Mora fall to the ground and her uncle continued to assault her, and then pulled the victim into their home.
Another resident, Nekita Benjamin, a 24-year-old community health worker for Yakarinta Village, said that at about 22.00 hours last night, she was at home when she received a call from an unknown number informing her that Mora had died at home.
Benjamin related that she immediately left her home and visited Mora’s home, where she contacted the suspect and questioned him regarding the information she had received. The suspect, she says told her that his reputed wife went somewhere in the village drinking, and she came home, went to bed and later stopped breathing.
She subsequently checked Mora’s body which was lying on a bed for pulse but found no signs of life. She proceeded to examine the exposed parts of the body and saw what appeared to be marks of violence on the face, and both breast and chest area which prompted her to ask the suspect if they had a fight to which he responded, “Yes we drink and had a lil fight.”
Detectives processed the scene and arrested the suspect but he denied inflicting any injuries on his reputed wife claiming that it was ‘Kanaima’ [evil spirits] that killed her. The body of the victim was taken to the Lethem Hospital Mortuary.
Meanwhile, the suspect was taken to Lethem Regional Hospital where he was examined and a medical certificate was obtained. He is presently in custody at Lethem Police Station assisting with investigations.
