‘Release him!’ says mother of 15-year-old charged with murder (+video)

By Christina Smith
Video by Eldonte Samuel

Residents in Caratal village, Georgetown are remaining tight lipped about the events which led to the death of their neighbour, 27-year-old Sheldon ‘Buttaz’ Welch on March 2, allegedly at the hands of his younger brother, Javid DaSilva.

A SEARCHLIGHT team yesterday travelled the length and breadth of the village but all of the residents, including a male sibling of the deceased, declined to say anything.

One neighbour revealed to SEARCHLIGHT that the decision reportedly came from the mother of the deceased, Michelle Spring, who requested that residents not share any information with the media. The neighbour also said residents were willing to follow the mother’s instructions as “we is friends”.

A stone’s throw away in a small village, the relatives of the 15-year-old boy who was jointly charged with Welch’s murder, spoke freely with the teen’s mother making a call for authorities to release her son as she believes he was taken advantage of by the co-accused.

“He like to help. If you here and ah mix cement, you don’t have to ask him, he will go right and join. If you ah ‘drougue’ blocks, anything, he ah join in with you and help you,” the mother told SEARCHLIGHT yesterday, March 9.

In addition to the teen and DaSilva, 22, Lisroy Bacchus, 33 is charged with assisting with the transport and disposal of Welch’s body. SEARCHLIGHT understands that the body was chopped into multiple pieces, transported to the Morne Garu mountain and dumped in a pit. The body was later discovered by police after an alarm was raised about Welch’s disappearance.

The aunt of the teen added that he was always eager to be in the company of others, who he called ‘me friend’. She said although he is willing to help, he does not always understand what is being asked of him.

“If you tell him something you have to tell him over and over again ‘til he understand. If yo talking to him, you have to break it down like if yo talking to a five year old. If yo talk to him like how you do a big person using big words, he na go understand. Me believe they [accused] really use he. If anybody ah say lewwe go Morne Garu he na hesitate, if me say lewwe go ah River 14, he ready!”

When questioned about his relationship with DaSilva, another relative said, “They always together, they does always lime together. He say they is friend.”

The relative said she knew little about the relationship between Welch and DaSilva as neither never visited the teen at home, but rather the teen always left the community to go to DaSilva’s residence.

Caratal, Georgetown

The teen is a student of the Special Needs School in Georgetown with his mother disclosing to SEARCHLIGHT that he is intellectually impaired.

Detailing the events around the time that Welch was reportedly killed, the relatives said the teen left the house on Thursday night but did not return until Friday morning, behaviour which they say is out of character.When he returned home, his grandmother is said to have scolded him for being out after-hours and warned him not to do it again. When questioned by relatives as to his whereabouts, they said the teen responded that “he been ah watch a scary movie by a friend”.

The family went on to say that they held a lime at the house on Friday evening and the teen seemed as usual, laughing and joking with other relatives. They added that they were “shocked” to see the police appear at the house on Saturday asking for the teen.

His mother said she saw the clothes the teen wore the night before “pile up” but she never thought to inspect them. She said she has been visiting the teen where he is being held on remand at the Central Police Station, Kingstown and stressed that she believes he does not understand the seriousness of the charges he is facing.

“Me went Monday and Tuesday. He ah talk to me normal. Me ask him what happen and he na answer me but he talk to me normal. He not understanding everything.”

Basin Hole in Georgetown

The mother said she has sought legal advice on the case being brought against her son and she is holding out hope that her son will soon be released and the charges dropped.

Detailing the events around the time that Welch was reportedly killed, the relatives said the teen left the house on Thursday night but did not return until Friday morning, behaviour which they say is out of character.When he returned home, his grandmother is said to have scolded him for being out after-hours and warned him not to do it again. When questioned by relatives as to his whereabouts, they said the teen responded that “he been ah watch a scary movie by a friend”.

The family went on to say that they held a lime at the house on Friday evening and the teen seemed as usual, laughing and joking with other relatives. They added that they were “shocked” to see the police appear at the house on Saturday asking for the teen.

His mother said she saw the clothes the teen wore the night before “pile up” but she never thought to inspect them. She said she has been visiting the teen where he is being held on remand at the Central Police Station, Kingstown and stressed that she believes he does not understand the seriousness of the charges he is facing.

“Me went Monday and Tuesday. He ah talk to me normal. Me ask him what happen and he na answer me but he talk to me normal. He not understanding everything.”

The mother said she has sought legal advice on the case being brought against her son and she is holding out hope that her son will soon be released and the charges dropped.