Jilted lover facing murder charge

Police officers investigating the murder of Guyanese national, Gail Augustine and the attempted murder of Cleopatra Spines of Coffee Street, San Fernando, on Monday, hurriedly left the Forensic Science Centre yesterday  and headed for the Point Fortin Police Station, to lay murder and attempted murder charges on the suspect being held in custody. The autopsy report done on the body of the murder victim revealed that she died as a result of two stab wounds to the back. The autopsy, which was performed at around 3:30 pm yesterday, was witnessed by two friends of the deceased, after the sister of the dead woman, Lauren Trim, also of Guyana, indicated that she could not get to the autopsy on time. Trim requested that her sister’s closest friends be allowed to take her place as the witnesses of the procedure.
   
One of Augustine’s friends who witnessed the autopsy, Ingrid Perrot, held on closely to her deceased friend’s identification card and other documents ensuring that members of the media did not get a copy. Also present was the common-law husband of the deceased, Anslim Joseph, who also witnessed the autopsy. Augustine, the ex-common-law wife of the 35-year-old murder accused and Cleopatra Spines, the present common-law wife of the same man, were both stabbed on Monday afternoon in Point Fortin near their work places. Sources close to the common-law husband of the deceased, Anslim Joseph, revealed that the accused did not handle it well when the deceased ended the relationship. According to sources, earlier this month (Oct 15) the accused met the deceased and Joseph while they were walking along the Old Southern Main Road in Point Fortin and were accosted by him. An argument developed among the three, causing the deceased to run off. The argument escalated  and the murder accused stabbed Joseph before running off.

According to police reports, the murder suspect was arrested and charged for malicious wounding. He appeared before a Point Fortin magistrate and was fined $2000. He insisted to Magistrate Rooplalchand that he would be on his best behaviour and apologised for the incident. However, things turned sour and the murder accused seemed to have changed his mind about maintaining good behaviour.  According to sources, he went to a variety store in Point Fortin at about 4 pm on Monday where he purchased two knives. Police reports indicate that the accused was overheard saying “One for she (deceased, and one for him (Joseph).” The accused is said to have made his way to the workplace of the deceased, a small boutique in Point Fortin, where he accosted her. Reports indicate that Augustine tried to get away from the man, but fell down in Chinkit Park, just opposite where she worked. It was there he dealt her several stab wounds to the body before running off, leaving her for dead.

But his job was far from over, as he ran down the Main Road in Point Fortin, with the blood stained knife in his hand, where he met his common-law wife, Cleopatra Spines sitting near an apple stall. The accused said to 24-year-old Spines, “Let we go home.” However when Spines refused, she too was dealt several stabs to the body. She remains warded at the San Fernando General Hospital. The accused was charged with murder by Corporal Cuthbert Straker, who is being assisted with investigations by Constables Ramdeen and Gookool, all of the Point Fortin CID. He will appear before a Point Fortin magistrate today.