Troumaca man killed at Morne Rhonde
Taranjah Yaw Fri Aug 16, 2013
When Troumaca resident Owen Pompey, also known as Big Ras, did not return home from the mountains at his usual time on Monday, his partner of 11 years, Cordelia Lewis, began to get worried.{{more}}
Lewis told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday that she had already cooked some fish broth for Pompeyâs dinner, and when he did not return home by 6 p.m. as he normally did, she began to get concerned.
âHe told me he was coming back and when he stays up he usually has someone bring his jeep from Richmond,â a distraught Lewis said.
Repeated calls to Pompeyâs cellular phone went unanswered all day Tuesday, and suspecting foul play, a small party of Tromouca residents left for Morne Ronde Wednesday morning to look for him.
According to reports, the search party met a 35-year-old resident of Lowmans Leeward in the area where Pompey normally spent time.
Residents of Troumaca told SEARCHLIGHT that the man took the search party to where Pompeyâs body was. According to a family member of the deceased, a feeble attempt had been made to bury Pompey.
The suspect was brought by the search party to Morne Rhonde Bay; he was then taken by boat to Chateaubelair and handed over to the police.
A police source told SEARCHLIGHT that while at the Chateaubelair police station, the suspect complained of pain about his body. He was taken to the Chateaubelair hospital, which is located 50 yards away from the police station.
According to reports, the suspect spent about an hour at the hospital, where he was administered saline drips before being released and taken back to the police station under heavy security.
Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, the suspect was taken to Kingstown Criminal investigations Department (CID) in Kingstown for further questioning; he was to return to the crime scene yesterday, SEARCHLIGHT understands.
It is said that the suspect was deported from Barbados in 2011 after serving nine years for manslaughter.
Relatives of Pompey and other residents of Troumaca are however asking why was Pompeyâs body not brought out of the bush the same day.
âI donât know what I am going to do, I just canât function too good right now. Big Ras was a good man and he didnât deserve this,â a distraught Cordelia Lewis said.
Lewis also said that she is puzzled as to why the body of her common law husband is still lying in the mountains unguarded at this time.
Ricardo Anthony of Troumaca told SEARCHLIGHT that he grew up with Pompey and they lived less than 25 yards apart.
âI talked to him on Sunday and he even called my phone on Mondayâ, Anthony said.
The outraged resident also said that he is at a loss as to why the body wasnât brought down from the mountains on Wednesday.
Anthony said he is unsure what protocol the police are following but the situation looks wrong.
âSuppose they canât find the body or suppose someone destroy evidence, it is a crime scene for Godâs sake and whoever made that decision should be held accountableââ Anthony said.
A coast guard vessel arrived at Chateaubelair Wednesday afternoon with Serious Crimes Unit (MCU) and Special Services Unit (SSU) personnel on board. However it returned to base one and a half hours after the officers embarked.
A party was expected to return to the crime scene with the suspect on Thursday morning.
Comments
