Georgetown teen stabbed to death

Sometimes a story has many sides, and with the O’Neil Delecia homicide narrative, one is hearing at least three versions.

Delecia, 19, of Georgetown, was stabbed three times at around 6:45 pm on Tuesday, November 21 in Queen Street, Georgetown where he was hanging out with friends.

Reports are that he was stabbed in the back of his neck, the left side of his upper body and on one of his fingers.

The former Georgetown Secondary School (GSS) student, who family members say had been trying to make something of himself, was taken to the Modern Medical and Diagnostic Centre in his home community where medical personnel tried for about an hour to save his life, but were unsuccessful.

He died at around 8 pm, going down in the bloody history of 2023 as this country’s 49th homicide victim.

When SEARCHLIGHT visited Delecia’s home on Wednesday, several family members were seated in the shade under a tree in the front yard of the family dwelling.

The atmosphere was sombre as family members related that Delecia was stabbed by a 14-year-old boy with whom he and at least one other family member had had violent run-ins in the past.

Justice was the cry from the dead man’s stepfather Calvin “Compay” Ryan and his mother Sheridan Delecia.

“Boss…,” Ryan said while addressing SEARCHLIGHT, “the youth is not a bad youth, he is a mannerly youth, full of respect. If you pass ah road five times, you ah get hail five times. A perfect, perfect smile…”

This perspective of Delecia was however dismissed by several other residents of the area, who spoke of him in a completely different light.

Ryan however said the actions that led to the death of his stepson were not worth it and although it is tragic for both families involved, family members of the person alleged to have carried out the stabbing are being hostile towards the Delecia family, and one member of the other family even created a scene at the hospital on the night of the stabbing.

The bereaved man said his 15-year-old son was also stabbed in the past, allegedly by the same 14-year-old who allegedly stabbed Delecia.

“He always used to walk and say he have to kill Neil, I don’t know what Neil do he…; he and my youth man used to go the same school and them keep on fighting, fighting, he never win a war…he keep on fighting until the thing reach in [school] principal position,” Ryan explained.

He said that there was once a meeting between him, the 14-year-old boy’s parents, a police officer and the school’s principal, but that ended badly.

“The kind of chat the parents let off inside the office in front different parents, police and principal, you train up your kid to be a killer.

“Me don’t feel that nobody should have no mercy on he,” Ryan opined to SEARCHLIGHT, while noting that he had warned Delecia to stay away from the teenager, but on one occasion, Delecia came home and told him (Ryan) that he was attacked by the 14-year-old who wielded a piece of board with nails and barbed wire embedded in it.

“He (Delecia) said he get way the piece of board from him, so after that, he always ah target him, but me never know the thing ah get down to this,” Ryan said, while opining that the violence is being fuelled by older persons in the community.

Residents claim that there have also been instances, where the teenager who is accused of killing Delecia, was also attacked.

The dead man’s mother said her son did not deserve to die the way he did and the last thing she told her son as he left home that fateful day was “Neil nah go up the road go get yourself inna nothing with nobody.”

She said he smiled and left and that was the last time she spoke to her son with whom she had a good relationship despite the fact that he would at times get her angry.

Sheridan said she needs justice for her son.

A 14-year-old has been detained in relation to the killing and is expected to be charged.