Woman shot dead, lover drinks poison

A 35-YEAR-OLD mother of two was shot dead Sunday night by her 62-year-old lover who later drank a deadly weedicide. The bodies of Jacqueline Paponette and Joe Nicholas, parents of a three-year-old daughter and five-year-old son, were found in a car at Nicholas Trace, Valencia, around 7 am yesterday. Police recovered a 12-gauge shotgun, believed to be the murder weapon, as well as a knife, at the scene. This incident sent the country’s  murder rate to 156 for the year so far. Between Friday and yesterday six persons were murdered.

At around 4 pm on Sunday, Paponette left her home at Pinto Road, Arima. She told relatives she was going to work at the Arima branch of Mario’s Pizza. Her co-workers said at around 10 pm they saw Paponette sitting in the front passenger seat of Nicholas’ blue Ford Cortina. That was the last time they saw the couple alive. Police investigators believe Nicholas, a farmer, lured Paponette, with whom he had shared an intimate relationship for nine years, to a house at Nicholas Trace which he once owned. While there, he shot her twice. Police theorise that Nicholas placed Paponette’s blood soaked body, still clad in her Mario’s uniform, in the front passenger seat of his car, then sat next to her and drank weedicide. At around 7 am yesterday Bernard Lawrence, a farmer, came upon the parked car.

At first, he thought the couple was asleep in the vehicle but when he called out to Nicholas and did not get a response, he made a closer check and realised the two were dead. Officers from the Valencia Police Station were summoned to the scene, along with District Medical Officer Dr Fe Reyes. The officers were led by ASP Gonzales, Inspector Thomas, Ag Inspector Johnny Abraham, and included Sgts Fermin Roy, Heeralal Choon, Cpls Beverly Paul, Lawrence Mitchell, Ag Cpl Wendell Lucas and others.

Several persons were interviewed, including relatives of the murder victim. Police found the murder weapons inside the house previously owned by Nicholas. They told Newsday Nicholas took possession of the shotgun on Sunday and told friends he had seen a deer in the area and wanted to shoot it. Instead, he hid the gun in his car. Relatives of the dead woman claimed Nicholas had accused Paponette of being unfaithful to him and had threatened to kill her.

The murder/suicide sent shock waves through the agricultural village of Valencia. Co-workers described Paponette as a good employee who was always cheerful and expressed sadness over her death. An autopsy will be carried out today at the Forensic Science Centre. Police are treating the deaths as a murder/suicide. Cpl Lucas of the Valencia Police Station is continuing investigations.