Murdered for his pension

Lawrence Le Gendre, a retired Public Transport Service Corporation inspector, of Caratal Road, was stabbed three times in his neck and once in his chest.

Police believe Le Gendre was robbed of his pension money and then brutally murdered. The grisly discovery was made around 8.45 am yesterday by Le Gendre’s cousin, Mariano, and his common-law-wife, Mary Mangal, who had gone to visit Le Gendre.

Le Gendre lived alone and had no children. Police said Le Gendre’s bloody body was found lying on its back on a bed, which was covered in blood. The body bore stab wounds to the back, left and right side of the neck and a stab wound to the chest. Le Gendre’s face also bore lacerations. The floor of the room was covered in pools of blood. Investigators said Le Gendre’s pension money was missing, but the house was not ransacked and there was no sign of forced entry. However, according to Mariano, Le Gendre was not in the habit of securing his house at night, so when Mariano found Le Gendre’s front sliding glass door unlocked yesterday morning he was not worried.

Mariano told Sunday Newsday that when he entered the house he was expecting to see Le Gendre sleeping on a chair in the living-room, because he usually fell asleep there at nights. When he did not see him, Mariano walked across to Le Gendre’s bedroom.

"The door was open. I saw plenty blood on the ground in the room and on the bed I glimpsed his body," Mariano said. He said he ran out of the house and shouted to his wife to call the police.

Fondly known as "Mr Joe" in the neighbourhood, Mariano said, Le Gendre had no children and every Monday, Wednesday and Friday he and his wife would visit him. But on Thursday, Mariano, said Le Gendre told him that he had to go to Couva to collect his medication on Friday and to visit him yesterday instead. That was the last time he spoke to Le Gendre.

Alluding to the crime situation in the country, Mariano said he had spoken to Le Gendre many times about leaving his house unsecured. "But he kept saying ‘I am an old man. I have nothing for anyone to take,’" Mariano added.

Le Gendre’s nephew, Anthony, said that on the 15th of every month his uncle would collect his pension.

"I believe he was killed by someone who knew this...someone from the area," he said. Describing Le Gendre as a very quiet and friendly elderly person, neighbours told Sunday Newsday that they heard no screams or noises coming from Le Gendre’s house on Friday night. A female neighbour, who was close to Le Gendre, said the last time she saw him was on Thursday.

A District Medical Officer viewed the body and ordered its removal to the Forensic Sciences Centre where an autopsy is expected to be performed tomorrow. Visiting the scene was a party of policemen from the Gasparillo Police Station and San Fernando CID and Homicide Bureau, including Supt Krishna Maharaj, ASP Ruthven Paul and Insp Terry Khan.

Cpl Parson is continuing investigations.