(Trinidad Guardian) Given the high public interest and various possibilities for a motive, several high-profile police units have been instructed to assist the Homicide Bureau of Investigations with their investigations into the murder of special prosecutor Randall Hector.
Hector, 43, was gunned down outside a Seventh Day Adventist Church on the corner of Stanmore Avenue and Albion Street, Port-of-Spain on Old Year’s Night.
Police said gunmen in a black SUV and a Nissan B15 drove near Hector’s vehicle and shot him several times. He died at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Thirteen spent 9 mm shells were found.
Hector worked as a legal officer with the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) and up to the time of his death was assigned to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) where he was responsible for prosecuting a reputed gang leader.
An officer assigned to an investigative unit confirmed that the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the Special Branch, the Cyber Crime Unit, the Research and Analysis Unit (RAU) and the Criminal Gang Intelligence Unit, will be supporting the work of homicide detectives in their inquiry.
The additional resources were allocated to give officers “the best chance of success,” in finding Hector’s killers, the officer explained.
“They’re pushing a lot of strength and resources behind this because they want actionable results within the next three months at least. With the state of emergency (SoE) underway officers are working longer hours so they will be on the ball and working to gather as much information as possible.
“Enquiries will be running longer continuously to get results but the concern is whether enough evidence could be gathered to meet the necessary thresholds,” he said.
While witness statements have already been gathered, the officer said investigators are viewing CCTV footage of the murder to try and identify the vehicles used.
Media reports suggested that a possible motive for Hector’s murder was his role as a prosecutor in the case against a man described as a “major underworld figure” who had been the target of a recent murder attempt.
At a media briefing in Tobago on Friday afternoon, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley lamented Hector’s murder and commented on the willingness of criminals to use violence to send a warning.
“I’ve also been told and have experienced many instances of witnesses being harmed or killed. This is the criminal element saying, ‘I am not prepared to subject myself to being restrained in the prison or I am not prepared to have any lawyer stand up in the court and put up any case against me.’
“I am prepared to put fear into the hearts of those who will replace the one (attorney) who I have removed and this is fear as protection for the criminal.”
Police said an intelligence briefing held last week did not outline any clear intelligence to suggest Hector’s work as a prosecutor led to his murder.
“For now, it’s premature to say definitively what the motive is. There are a lot of people to interview from all angles to verify and cross-reference what is being said. If information does arise that this may be the result of a gang seeking to send a message then persons in the DPP’s office may be interviewed to see if he (Hector) was threatened or not.
“If information arises that it may be as a result of his work with the SSA, we will have to find out who he has been talking to and what information he was privy to. We are not ruling anything out,” a source said.
