Diamond woman arms severed, hacked to death

Some call it love; others poor judgment – call it what you will, it may have resulted in Ann-Marie Ledger being killed and nine children left motherless.{{more}}

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT shortly after their mother Ann-Marie Ledger, 39, a vendor of Diamond was chopped to death in her modest, wooden home, the older children of the dead woman said that she should have ended her troubled relationship with her lover of eight years a long time ago.

Last Saturday night Ledger was selling drinks in front of Y De Lima when she had an argument with her lover over money.

Searchlight understands that following the resolution of the matter with the assistance of the police, Ledger’s common-law husband was detained at the Police headquarters over night and released next morning.



Shortly after 6:00a.m on Sunday morning all hell broke lose.

Searchlight understands that in the presence of her younger children, Ledger, originally from Yambou, received several chops, resulting in her left forearm being severed while her right forearm was left barely hanging at the elbow.

She was also chopped across the face.

“I went to call the neighbours, they (the younger children) were bawling,” said her 14-year-old son Narry, bearly mustering the strength needed to talk.

Eldest daughter Lecia Gurley said that their mother had always had problems with her relationships with men.

“She always ending up in abusive situation but usually she would leave once the beating starts,” Lecia said.

Why she didn’t give up this one, even though as Lecia said “The whole village use to tell her to keep away from him”?

She loved him.

“When I talk to her she used to say she love him and tell us leave her alone,” said 19-year-old Annette, another of her broken hearted children.

They pointed to the remnants of a burnt down house in the yard: two burnt posts. They say that the house was burnt last year during one of the many domestic upheavals that the couple went through.

“My mother used to work so hard, she never used to sit down, she didn’t deserve to die like that,” said Lecia, fighting back without success the tears that flowed; vowing to take care of her young siblings.

Ezekiel Jacobs, 43, originally of Dickson, the father of Ledger’s three youngest children was at press time (Wednesday)charged with her murder . He should have appeared in the Serious Offences Court yesterday.