The murder that started it all
KEITH NOEL, the man whose brutal murder inspired the anti-crime movement that led to yesterday’s massive Death March through Port-of-Spain, was chopped across his right jaw then suffocated to death at his Regent Street, Belmont, home at approximately 1 am on May 26. His killers apparently broke into the house through a window, then escaped through the back door of the house, jumping over a wall and disappearing into the St Barb’s, Laventille, area. Noel, 39, who was employed with Tropical Power Rental Agency, was described by relatives and friends as an innocent and decent man, who had lived alone. He was the 136th murder victim for the year. Soon after his murder, Noel’s friends and family members, led by his former employer, businessman Steve Cadiz, established the Keith Noel 136 Committee in his memory to help stem the worsening crime situation. The group embarked on a petition drive, seeking 100,000 signatures to take to President George Maxwell Richards. They also established a Web site at www.trinidadmurders.org on which a letter to the President was posted. In that letter, the group stated: "We the citizens are fed up with the violent, murderous crime situation and will no longer live in fear. We demand action by our elected Members of Parliament and ask that you use the Office of the President to help us, this scared and frightened population." In August the group was barred from using the Brian Lara Promenade for its petition drive. Promenade Management officials expressed concern that the gathering might have taken on the characteristics of a political rally or religious service. However, the group was more successful yesterday, getting permission for the Death March and Rally which drew thousands of participants into the streets of the capital.
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"The murder that started it all"