Licks for love leads to death

A HOUSEWIFE allegedly paid a man $5,000 to beat-up her husband, Kelvin Ragbir, who ended up dead in his home — stabbed to death — four years ago in Siparia.

In outlining the incident on Friday to a judge and jury, the State submitted that Irene Ragbir, 48, killed Kelvin Ragbir with the help of two men. The two men — Ancil Edmund and Bruce Henry — aka “Frank” and “Bruce Assam,” — are jointly charged with Ragbir for the Kelvin Ragbir’s killing.

Opening the case to the jury before Justice Herbert Volney in the San Fernando High Court, State attorney Joan Honore-Paul said Ragbir’s body was found next to his car in a garage at the victim’s home at Antoine Trace Extension, Quarry Village, on the morning of November 3, 2002.

An autopsy revealed the deceased, a former Petrotrin employee, had been stabbed several times in the neck.

Prosecutor Honore-Paul told Volney and the jury of nine men and three women that Irene had confessed to police of striking up a deal for a man named “Baby” to beat her husband. The court heard that Irene wanted to scare her husband into drawing him closer to her.

Irene was a victim of domestic abuse, Honore-Paul told the court, and she had allegedly told police when she was arrested for the murder that she “might” have given “Baby” $5,000 to beat her husband. Honore-Paul said Irene allegedly told police that on the night of the murder, she called “Baby” and told him her husband had gone out. Irene, Honore-Paul told the judge and jury, unplugged the telephone line and went to bed.

Irene found her husband dead in their home the next morning.

Honore-Paul told the jury that fingerprints found on the body of the deceased’s car matched those of Edmund and Henry.