‘Jesus told me to kill’

The suspect, believed to be suffering from depression, stabbed his relative Jonathan Murphy to death at their Temple Street, Diego Martin home shortly after 6.50 am yesterday. After commiting murder and with his clothes stained with Murphy’s blood, the suspect is said to have gone back to his bedroom and fell asleep.

Other relatives later discovered Murphy’s body and of the victim alerted police. The suspect was awakened from sleep and told police that he heard voices in his head and got a message from Jesus telling him to stab Murphy in the back. The 19-year-old suspect said he went to the kitchen, took a ten-inch knife and stabbed Murphy in the back.

The suspect remains in custody at the Homicide Investigations Bureau (Region I) office. Police investigating the case are expected to approach the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions shortly for directions in the matter.

Murphy’s body was taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James for autopsy. The body was viewed and identified by mother Pam Goolcharan and a man identified as the victim’s stepfather.

A distraught Goolcharan told police it was very difficult having to deal with the death of a son and at the same time have to come to terms with the arrest of another relative for the murder.

MAN GUNNED DOWN In an unrelated incident in San Juan, police said that a Diego Martin man was chased by gunmen and shot to death near a tyre shop. According to police, at about 3.45 pm yesterday, Denzil Phillip, 46, of Bagatelle, Diego Martin was conducting repairs to a car when two men ran in his direction and began shooting.

Phillip ran into the back of the tyre shop’s store room but was pursued by the gunmen who cornered and shot Phillip seven times, killing him at the scene.

All of the shots, police said, were to Phillip’s head. The body was viewed by the district medical officer and ordered removed to the Science Centre for autopsy. Up to press time, the killers remained at large. San Juan police are continuing investigations. The murder toll for the year, up to press time, stood at 220.