Ex-prisoner stabbed to death

A FORMER prisoner was stabbed to death in Valencia early yesterday morning, in what relatives and police believe was a long-standing dispute following the burning of the victim’s clothes in a house he once shared with the suspect and a female companion.

The suspect, a 27-year-old man who is also an ex-prisoner, later surrendered to officers of the Valencia Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Senior police officers said they are treating the killing of Michael Lambert, 31, as homicide in the first instance, but were also looking at a self defence angle in the killing of the former mason. Police said the suspect reported that around 5.30 am Lambert, of Seow Avenue, off Mora Avenue, Valencia, and another man came to his one room wooden home situated at Runtuna Extension, San Pablo Road, also in Valencia. The suspect and the other man were reportedly armed with cutlasses and police sources said an altercation took place inside the suspect’s home, which is surrounded by sorrel and pine trees.

Police said there was evidence to suggest that a struggle took place inside the humble green-painted house since one of the suspect’s windows broke off and fell on the outside. During the struggle, Lambert was stabbed once on the right side of his neck.  Lambert is reported to have stumbled out of the house, where he collapsed and died about 30 feet away, his white long sleeve white jersey soaked in blood.  Both his jersey and black and gold track pants were worn on the reverse.  His white sneakers were neatly laced, however. After the incident, police said the suspect first spoke to a neighbour then gave himself up to officers of the Valencia Station.  Lambert’s sidekick reportedly fled the scene and had not been held up to late evening.

A party of officers from the Eastern Division headed by Sr Supt Randolph Protain, and including Insps Thomas and Andrews, Cpls Deosaran, Maloney and Mark and WPC Bernard visited the scene and conducted investigations.  A piece of cutlass was seized but the death weapon, believed to be a knife, was not found up to late evening. District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr Roxanne Tantoco also viewed Lambert’s body and ordered it removed to the Forensic Science Centre. At the scene yesterday, Lambert’s elder sister, Phylis Forbes said her brother and the suspect were friends and that a woman burned down his house with his clothes. “All he (Lambert) wanted was compensation for his clothes,” Forbes, in tears, said.  She said her brother came out of jail last year after serving time for robbery. After his release, Forbes said, Lambert went to Tobago, where he lived with his sister.  She said he was doing masonry work and later left the island. “He was a real cool fella,” Forbes said.  Cpl Mark of the Valencia CID is continuing investigations.