Rio Claro bar owner murdered

Archibald Deonarine, 76, proprietor of Archie’s White Gate, had an appointment with an attorney today to discuss the money, his relatives said.

Deonarine, a former Petrotrin employee, was discovered bleeding in a dasheen bush patch behind his home and business place at Tabaquite Main Road by his common-law wife Hyacinth Loubon. His face had been bashed in and there was a deep wound at the back of his head, police said. A bloody shovel believed to be the murder weapon was recovered near the body.

Loubon told police that she last saw Deonarine alive about 5.45 pm when he stopped tending to patrons at the bar to feed the chickens behind the house. After some 45 minutes had passed without him returning to the bar, Loubon told detectives that, she went in search of him.

Loubon’s daughter Lisa Chattergoon told Newsday, “She left the customers and went downstairs to look for him by the pen (chicken coop). She found him messed up with blood lying face up in a drain and she ran upstairs crying hysterically. She told a man and his wife in the bar what had happened and he told her she had to call the police”.

In Loubon’s emotional state she telephoned the police, who hung up the telephone on her, Chattergoon said.

“She was crying a lot on the phone”, Chattergoon said, “ and the police kept hanging up on her.”

A bar patron then drove to the police station and reported the discovery of Deonarine’s body. Within minutes, police officers of the Rio Claro Police Station arrived at the scene and Homicide detectives of the Eastern Division followed soon after. District Medical Officer Dr Rampaul examined the body and ordered its removal to the Sangre Grande Mortuary.

A post-mortem performed by Dr Eastlyn Mc Donald Burris concluded that he died as a result of head injuries.

Chattergoon said Deonarine had signed a three-year lease in 2004 to rent the bar premises to a police officer for $3,000 per month. “He paid the first month’s rent and never paid again”, she said. “He had to take him to court to get him out of the place.”

The tenant was evicted from the premises in March 2005 following a ruling in the High Court.

However, Deonarine was still owed thousands of dollars worth of stocks of alcoholic beverages, rental of the premises and the utility bills from the leasing of the bar, Chattergoon said, and was seeking to recover this money.

An attorney, who requested anonymity, to told Newsday that when he spoke Deonarine on Monday morning, the deceased expressed eagerness to recover his money. “He (the deceased) said the matter was going on too long and it was time to get back his money. I could not tell whether he was in fear of his life”, the attorney said. Deonarine’s relatives said the deceased was also supposed to attend court on May 12 in a related matter at Rio Claro Magistrates’ Court.

Homicide detectives of the Eastern Division are continuing investigations.