Family wrangles over property as police investigate murder

The country’s murder toll continued to climb yesterday with the death of Maloney Gardens shopkeeper Cletus Nicholls. According to police Nicholls’ semi-nude body was found lying in a pool of blood in the TV-room of his home, by a customer who had come to Nicholls’ premises to buy newspapers shortly after 7 am yesterday. When police arrived on the scene, they found a bloodstained knife and a Chinese chopper. They also discovered a ranshackle room, which caused them to suspect that robbery was the motive. But in the middle of the police investigations, family members of the murdered former WASA worker, were wrangling over who would take control of his property.

At press time family members and investigators were still trying to determine if anything was taken from the house. When Newsday attempted to speak to two of his daughters and his recently estranged common-law wife, they all refused to give their names. The siblings expressed disgust at seeing the former common-law wife entering the house and picking up things. They claimed she was not welcomed there. When Newsday requested a photo of the dead man, the common-law wife handed over a photograph, but it was snatched by another family member and torn up, saying she did not want her father’s picture in the papers.

Investigations further revealed that the dead man, who was popular in the community was last seen alive around 4 pm the previous afternoon. He was in the habit of opening his shop around 6 am which caused suspicion when he did not open that morning. While police claim no one saw or heard anything, one resident said he knew the killer, who took a bath and changed his clothes after killing Nicholls. The body was ordered removed to the Forensic Sciences centre for autopsy on Monday by the DMO who was contacted. His common-law wife was ordered to leave the house two weeks ago. Nicholls became this nations 233rd murder victim for the year.