Sets house on fire, then hangs himself

MINUTES after confessing to a priest about his marital problems, a 41-year-old father of two chopped his wife to death, set his house on fire, then hanged himself.

Police investigators believe that the man, Glen Martin Rajpaul, a mechanic at Petrotrin, of Ramjattan Trace, Penal, murdered his wife, Gillian, 32, when he suspected she was involved with another man. Police said that as a result of their domestic problems, Gillian had left her matrimonial home, at Ramjattan Trace, Penal, and had returned only two days ago in a bid to resolve their problems. According police reports, Rajpaul left home early yesterday morning to drop off his two children — Nyron, 15, and Nakita, 17 — to their respective schools at Penal Convent and Barrackpore Secondary Comprehensive.

Rajpaul then went to the Penal Roman Catholic Church where he met the priest. There he held, according to reports, a 15-minute discussion with the priest in which he complained about domestic problems both he and Gillian had been experiencing. Rajpaul and Gillian were married at the same church 18 years ago, where he and his family often attended services. Reports stated that around 9 am, Rajpaul returned home but unconfirmed reports stated that he again confronted his wife Gillian about her infidelity. Police said that the husband dealt his wife several chops about her body. The woman was chopped on the neck and back. Rajpaul then proceeded to set the house on fire. The husband, the report stated, then tied an electrical cord around his neck and hanged himself in the corridor of his house.

Neighbours who saw the flames, tried to break down the front door and called out to the couple, but there was no answer. The house quickly became engulfed in flames thus preventing neighbours from entering. However, they managed to ‘push’ the couple’s Sentra motorcar out of the yard. Firemen from the Siparia Fire sub-station arrived shortly after and put out the blaze, but they were only able to save the downstairs of the two-storey three bedroom house. Police and firemen, searching the burnt house, first discovered Rajpaul’s body lying in the corridor with an electrical cord around the neck. On further checking the rubble, they discovered Gillian’s body in a bedroom. She was lying on her side and according to the reports, the bodies of both husband and wife were badly burnt.

The bodies were viewed by District Medical Officer, Ian Furlonge, who ordered they be removed to the Forensic Sciences Centre, Port-of-Spain, where autopsies are carded for today. Visiting the scene was a party of officers including Supt Ganga, Insp Valdez and ASP Trea, who cordorned off the area leading to the house. When Newsday visited the scene, family members were busy removing household articiles and furniture from the house. Residents gathered in front the house and looked in awe at the burnt structure. Some of the residents described the Rajpauls as peaceful people who did not appear to be a couple with marital problems. On the brink of tears, Rajpaul’s brother-in-law, Innis Scope, admitted that Rajpaul and his wife were having marital problems. However, he refused to elaborate.

Scope said that it was as recent as Monday he visited the family. He told Newsday that he also spoke to Rajpaul on the phone the same night in which he counselled him about “the same problems”. Scope added: “After the conversation we had, I did not think he would do this.” He said that he last saw Gillian on Friday when she appeared “upset and sad”. However, Rajpaul’s father, when interviewed, said he did not have any clue what could have caused his son to act that way. “He was a jolly good fellow,” he added. Wiping away tears, the father who did not want to give his name, said he saw his son on Monday.