Bullet caused Moruga fisherman’s death

AN AUTOPSY yesterday on the body of murdered Moruga fisherman Victor Alexander at the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James, revealed a bullet, and not a slit throat, caused the death of the fisherman. Alexander was initially thought to have had his throat slit after a gash was discovered on his throat when his body was pulled out from the sea. However, the autopsy, which was carried out by pathologist Dr Eastlyn Mc Donald Burris, showed a shotgun blast near Alexander’s left armpit. One of the pellets travelled upwards and exited through his neck, leaving a gash along the throat which led police to initially believe his throat was slit. In all, four shotgun pellets were recovered from Alexander’s body.

Cause of death was officially ruled as shock and haemorrhage consistent with the shotgun injury. The autopsy was witnessed by Sgt Bill and PC Lall of Moruga Police Station and Alexander’s wife, Louise Dover. Alexander was one of four Moruga fishermen attacked and abducted by masked, armed Spanish-speaking pirates in the seas off Moruga two Tuesdays ago. The other three — Desmond “Grout” Raphael, Nickholas Sookhan and Kenrick Harripersad, were subsequently rescued by fellow fishermen after they were forced to jump into a river three miles from their home in Gran Chemin. Alexander was not as lucky. His corpse was found on the weekend floating in the sea. Investigations are being continued by Sgt Bill of Moruga Police Station.