Mother of butchered Georgetown man who buried in mountains speaks out

Three months after her son Sheldon ‘Butterz’ Welch was brutally hacked to death, the Georgetown mother has opened up about her feelings concerning the murder that has rocked the community and many across this nation.

The body of the 28-year-old man was found in the Morne Garu mountain on Thursday, March 2, 2023.

The discovery was made mere hours after ‘Butterz’ was said to be missing from his home; and a bloody scene was found at the Caratal house where he lived.

The body had been chopped into several pieces, placed in plastic bags and taken to the mountain.

In an exclusive interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday, May 23, Michelle Spring shared her feelings about the death of her son, Sheldon.

“Up to now, me still can’t come to grips with what really happened,” she said.

“Me just cannot come to grips,” Spring said on Tuesday.

The mother of five children said what transpired at her home in March, has resulted in her losing two of her sons.

Sheldon, who was her second son, is dead, and his younger brother, 22-year-old Javid Da Silva has been charged with his murder.

Spring said since the murder, she has been telling herself “like some kind of evil force or something” was in operation at the time of the killing.

“It had to be something, because that not normal. That not normal at all, that is not no normal thing, that is some kind of evil force,” Spring said as she reflected on the horrifying crime.

Spring, who is the mother of both the deceased and the murder accused, said she was not at home on the night of the incident.

The Georgetown woman explained to SEARCHLIGHT that she takes care of an elderly man in the area and as part of her job, she has to sleep at the man’s place.

She said she has a four bedroom house at Caratal, Georgetown, and Sheldon lived there, along with his other siblings.

While acknowledging that there was sibling rivalry, as happens in many families, Spring said there were no signs that such violence would ever erupt at her home.

“Every family always have they little up and down and misunderstanding.

“Me does always talk to my children them.”

She said both the accused and the deceased “came up real good”.

“Is just recently they start to argue up with one another,” the heartbroken mother recollected.

“Right now, me lost two sons, my youngest son is in prison. I can’t even get to hold his hands, or hug he and tell he how much me sorry.

“It hard pon me right now,” Spring admitted.

Spring said she loves all her children, and spoke glowingly about her slain son, Sheldon, noting that she misses him very much.

“When me really study, ah he used to help me with the house.”

She said just before Sheldon died, he had promised to help her plaster and tile the porch, as some finishing work still needs to be done to the house.

“I have to study who will help me now.”

She said Sheldon who was a mason/carpenter by trade was also a very good handyman.

“I really miss Sheldon, and many other people miss him too,” the grieving mother said.

Asked how Sheldon got the name ‘Butterz’, Spring said it was her brother who gave him that moniker.

She recounted that when Sheldon was an infant “he was big and fat and he loved to eat,” and one day while she was holding the baby her brother referred to Sheldon as ‘Butter Bean’.

The name stuck and was later shortened to ‘Butterz’.

The mother, who is trying to be strong for her remaining children, said she is still very hurt because of certain comments which were made after Sheldon’s murder.

“My heart is still paining me, I don’t know when I will get over this. I am just trying to keep myself active to avoid thinking about anything.”

Spring is convinced that her son Javid is in need of deliverance and is hoping that a pastor or someone would visit him in prison to talk to him in this regard.

Spring said her other children are also missing their brother, Sheldon, and they continually talk about him.

Sheldon ‘Butterz’ Welch was laid to rest on Saturday, March 25, following a funeral service at the Berean Baptist Church in Georgetown.

A 15 year old special needs student is jointly charged with Javid Da Silva, for the murder of Sheldon.

Da Silva’s cousin, Lisroy Bacchus, is charged with assisting to transport Sheldon’s body to the Morne Garu mountain.