Dad of 3 stabbed to death

IN A desperate attempt to save his sister from a cutlass attack, a 23-year-old Gasparillo man  reportedly fatally stabbed his father in the back during a family quarrel over a lightbulb at their Gasparillo home on Thursday night. Police have detained a relative of deceased Joel Cuffie, 46, for questioning. According to police reports, Cuffie was at his home at Parforce Road Extension in Gasparillo, with his son and daughter at around 9.30 Thursday night, when an argument broke out among the trio. It is alleged that Cuffie picked up a cutlass and attacked his daughter, a relative in turn picked up a kitchen knife and reportedly dealt Cuffie a single stab to his back. Cuffie slumped to the ground and bled to death. A report was made to the Gasparillo Police Station and a team of officers led by Sgt Charles visited the scene and detained a young man. After the body was viewed by the District Medical Officer, it was ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre, where up to late yesterday efforts were being made to have an autopsy carried out to ascertain the cause of death.

Police sources said once a forensic autopsy identified cause of death, investigators would meet with Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson to decide what (if any) charge would be laid against Cuffie’s relative. When Newsday visited the deceased’s home yesterday, relatives said although they were sad over the situation, Cuffie’s death brought an end to years of abuse at his hands. In fact, relatives claimed the beatings got so bad that Cuffie’s wife, Joanne, who moved out of the  marital home two years ago, had lodged several domestic violence reports to police.
With tears in her eyes, Kissy said her father would often beat them up and threaten to kill the entire family.

Kissy also related how her father had an altercation with her sister Candice last August, in which he broke her (Candice) left arm. A report was made to the police but Candice, who turned 20 on Thursday and is the mother of a baby girl, decided not to pursue the case. “I dropped the case because after all, he was my father,” Candice told Newsday, as she held her daughter Jael, and cried. Sitting nearby was Candice’s sister, Kissy, who was also crying. Asked if she and her other relatives were relieved now that years of terror and abuse at the hands of Cuffie, a labourer, had come to an end, albeit a violent end, a tearful Kissy said, “Daddy was a nice man despite his violence. I guess it was stress. I don’t know, but he did not have to die. He could have just gone away and leave us in peace.” Sgt Charles of Gasparillo Police Station is continuing investigations.