Tears as girl, 12, recalls mom’s killing

A 12-year-old girl yesterday broke down in tears when she was forced to recall the events leading up to her mother’s March 8 2001 murder. Meena Ramnarine, who had witnessed the attack on her mother moments before the murder, was giving evidence against her stepfather’s brother, Ronald Tiwarie. Tiwarie is before Justice Rajendra Narine at the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court charged with the murder of Polly Ramnarine.

Meena, who was nine at the time of the murder, was being cross-examined by defence attorney Odai Ramischand in relation to photographs that had been taken at the scene of the crime on the fateful day. The sole photo of the victim was at the bottom of the stack. Narine stood the matter down for ten minutes for Meena to regain her composure, during which time the child was comforted by her sister. The Standard Five student of Valencia RC Government Primary School had earlier been allowed to be led in evidence by State attorney Jeron Joseph without being sworn in. She had indicated she knew what it meant to speak the truth and said God would punish her if she didn’t. According to Meena, she and her mother had gone to Blue Basin in Diego Martin to take a bath at around 8 am on March 8. The river was close to their home.

Meena said she had to get dressed for school, so she finished her bath and left Polly in the water.  Her mother, the child said, was clad only in white underwear. Meena said as she was approaching their house she heard her mother scream. The child said when she ran back down the hill in the direction of the river, she saw Polly in the river and a barebacked Tiwarie on top of her with a cutlass in his hand. Her mother, Meena said, was “fighting up” trying to get away. Meena said she ran to her neighbour Nia Adam’s parlour and told him what had happened. He accompanied her to the river, where they found Polly lying face down in the water. Adams turned her over “and she was dead,” Meena said. While waiting for the police to arrive, Meena said, she saw Tiwarie driving away in his pick-up  with his wife and daughter. When the police arrived, she said, they spoke with her about the incident. She refuted claims by Ramischand that Sgt Anthony Lezama had told her what to say when he was recording her statement.

She admitted that she did not have a good relationship with Tiwarie and that before the incident neither she nor her step-father Dave Tiwarie were on speaking terms with him (the accused). In his evidence-in-chief yesterday, Dave said he left home to buy cigarettes before Polly and Meena left for the river. On his return, he was told of Polly’s demise by Adams. When he got to the river, Dave said he saw his wife lying on her back and she appeared to be dead. He said he covered her naked body with a black shirt shortly before the police arrived. Dave said apart from the accused and his family, no one else lived very close by. The hearing resumes today.