Redemption Sharpes man found dead at his home

Dexter Hepburn was up to press time remanded in custody, pending the results of an autopsy on the body of his father Christopher Hepburn, who was found dead at his home at Redemption Sharpes Tuesday afternoon.

Wayne Hillocks, one of the Hepburns’ neighbours, told reporters that on Tuesday, at about 2:45 p.m., he had a strange conversation with Dexter,{{more}} which led to him discovering Christopher’s body.

He said he was in the road speaking on his phone when he met the Dexter, who is said to be mentally ill.

“I know Dexter, so I was like, ‘Dexter what’s going on man’.”

According to Hillocks, they chatted for a short while, during which time Dexter told him that he loved his (Hillocks’) sister, to which Hillocks said he replied that Dexter was “playing crazy.”

Hillocks said Dexter then replied, “How you say I’m playing crazy and my dad is inside dead.”

“I said you gotta be kidding me; so I left the same time; me and him went in there.”

Hillocks said on entering the house, he found Christopher under a sheet with his head up and mouth open.

“I never do nothing and trouble the body or nothing, because I’ve been away for a long time and I know how that procedure go,” said Hillocks, who spoke with a slight American accent.

Hillocks told reporters that Christopher had no visible signs of trauma and in his opinion, Hepburn had died “the way he was.”

“You could just see… to me he’s just gasping for air, because according to his stepdaughter, he slept with his mouth open, so he probably could die like that,” he added.

Hillocks explained that he was told that Hepburn snores and that explained why his mouth was open.

Despite Dexter’s mental illness, Hillocks described him as a “brilliant kid,” recalling that they grew up together before he (Hillocks) migrated.

Dexter is said to be the holder of a black belt in taekwondo and previously travelled to compete in martial arts competitions overseas.

Hillocks said since his return from overseas, he often checked up on Dexter’s dad to ensure he was okay.

Although it was reported that the house was found ransacked, Hillocks said the house is usually unkempt.

“I was talking to everybody else; everybody else, they’re really blaming him. I can’t blame nobody. The autopsy would decide what happened…. At the end of the day the house wasn’t kept; nobody was going there to clean it up. It’s … like a crazy man home, literally,” he added.

The autopsy was expected to have been performed yesterday. (AS)