Dad kills son, commits suicideBy RHONDOR DOWLAT Tuesday, March 25 2008
A POPULAR Bar-B-Que vendor, 48, of Cunupia who accused his wife of being unfaithful, gave his four-year-old son a poisonous liquid to drink and then took a dose himself sometime between Easter Sunday night and yesterday morning.
Their bodies were discovered by the child’s distraught mother, Jairagee Deolal, 42, lying side by side on a mattress of their newly bought Caroni home.
This latest murder/suicide is included in the four-day Easter Weekend death record as 11 — six murders, three road fatalities, one suicide and one drowning.
According to a police report, at about 9 am yesterday Deolal went to her Tanager Drive, Ibis Gardens home where she called out to her husband Himragh Sookhai and her son Kennedy Sean. Upon getting no response, police said, the woman, with the assistance of a friend, broke down a wooden door to the house, where they made the gruesome and horrific discovery. Sookhai was well-known for selling Bar-B-Que at his LP 325 Southern Main Road, Cunupia home, in the vicinity of Sampson Trace. He had recently bought a house at Ibis Gardens and was between homes. Sookhai was also the father of two other children, a 20-year-old daughter and a 24-year-old son Navin Sookhai, who were at the scene yesterday.
Sookhai, who was clad only in a pair of black short pants, was found lying dead on a mattress, which was placed on the floor of a bedroom, next to his son, who was clad only in a black jockey shorts.
Police said the boy was in a foetal position, while Sookhai was lying on his side with one of his arm over the boy as though hugging him. Next to the bodies, police said, they found a bottle of Lanate.
A party of officers attached to the Central Division, including ASP Stephen Ramsubhag, Sgt Brandon John, PCs Ramsubhag, Thomas, Balkissoon and Olliviere arrived on the scene at about 10.30 am along with District Medical Officer, Dr Teelucksingh.
However, the bodies were not removed to the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James until shortly after 2 pm. An investigating officer told Newsday that on Easter Sunday night, Sookhai had accused Deolal of being unfaithful to him.
The officer added that she left the house after he began making threats to her life, and her son. A relative who wished to remain unidentified confirmed that the couple had marital problems. The relative also laid part of the blame on the police.
“She (Deolal) would often make reports to the police about the abuses and threats, but they never took her on. Up to Sunday night around 8 pm she went to the Cunupia Police Station where she again made a report of what had transpired earlier on,” the relative said.
Efforts were made to speak to Deolal, but reporters were prevented from doing so by a woman who claimed to be a police officer.
Deolal was whisked away to her Cunupia home by relatives.
The woman who was dressed in a pair of short pants and a navel-breaker threatened to arrest members of the media if they made any attempts to interview Deolal, or any other family member.
Back at the scene at Caroni, scores of residents and family members gathered on the road and nearby houses to catch a glimpse of the activities that were taking place.
Other Easter deaths included Holy Thursday’s, Barnett Assing, 54, who was shot several times outside his Pioneer Drive, Sea Lots home at about 9:45 pm. Police believe the killing may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Ten minutes after at D’Abadie, Joel Richards, 23, was shot dead while liming with friends at Maloney Settlement, Red Hill.
On Good Friday, at about 4 am Terrence Joseph, 42, of Arnos Vale Road, Plymouth, Tobago died after the vehicle he was in collided head-on with a green Ford Ranger at Shirvan Road Junction.
Later that night in Caroni, Sheldon Armorgan, 24, and three relatives were heading to their Walker Street, Frederick Settlement, Caroni home when they got into an accident. Armorgan later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH).
On Glorious Saturday, at about 11pm Tishaki Baker 25, was shot dead while at his St Ann’s Road, St Ann’s home.
Earlier that day, a skull was found wrapped in a lace curtain by a contractor who was operating a backhoe to clear a pathway at Cocorite Terrace, Cocorite.
The skull was removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James for forensic testing. Fifteen minutes after, at about 11:15 pm, Marsha Samaroo died on the spot when a vehicle ran into her as she was trying to cross the southbound lane of the Solomon Hochoy Highway.
And on Easter Sunday around midday Marcelle Smith, also known as Bolton, was playing a game of cards under a house at Pump Trace, Laventille, when gunmen approached them and opened fire. Smith and another man were shot.
They were both taken to the PoSGH. However, Smith was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The first drowning for the Easter weekend was recorded yesterday when a 22-year-old man of Laventille drowned while swimming with friends at Caura river.
According to a police report, at about 4.15 pm Ricky Williams, 22, of Marcano Quarry, Beverly Hills was swimming with two friends when he got into difficulty and went under. Police said Williams and his friends ignored a warning sign, which was erected by the Forestry Division warning bathers to stay away from that particular area.
The report said that Williams and his two friends were having a ‘fun’ swimming competition when the incident occurred.
Police said when Williams’ friends reached a small waterfall, which flowed over a concrete wall, they (the friends) looked back to see how far off Williams was behind them, but he was no where to be seen.
About 30 minutes after a search was carried out both on land and in the river, Williams’ body was seen floating in the middle of the pool.
A party of officers, led by Northern Division Supt Farrel arrived on the scene along with the District Medical Officer who viewed the body and ordered its removal to the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James.
Investigations are continuing into all incidents.
