14 killed in 13 days

WITHIN the past 13 days, between Wednesday March 19 and yesterday, there have been 14 murders committed in the country, bringing to 58 the number of persons murdered for the year, according to the Homicide Bureau.

The last murders recorded in the country up to yesterday evening, were that of Ria Blackman, 20 of Sea Lots and Keith Barrow, 25 of Laventille. Their bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head in a car at Gonzales at around 12.45 am yesterday. Also killed this past week, was top Jamaat Al Muslimeen member and “community leader” of Laventille, Mark Guerra, who was shot through the head in Wallerfield.

The following is a list of the murders in chronological order.
WEDNESDAY 19
- Dexter “Neckie” Mahase, 26, and Kerwin Romain, 29, two men identified by police as notorious drug dealers, are ambushed and shot to death inside Mahase’s Acono Village, Maracas, St Joseph home.
- 22-year-old fruit vendor Roland Bodhai of Endeavour Chaguanas is abducted and taken to the Caroni Cremation site where he is strangled. The motive is believed to be robbery.
- Rhonda Zamora Backhorie, 33, a mother of four, is fatally stabbed in the chest with a penknife during an argument with a male relative at their Couva home. The man has since been charged for her murder

SUNDAY 22
- Mason Victor Ellis, 38, of Upper Sixth Avenue, Malick is shot in the head and killed by a gunman following an argument. At the time, Ellis was said to be intoxicated.
- Mark Guerra, 35, aka Abdul Jaleel is shot in the head in Wallerfield and his BMW Sedan riddled. Guerra a top lieutenant in the Jamaat Al Muslimeen was Special Project Supervisor with the URP and considered a community leader by Prime Minister Patrick Manning. He was the father of 14.

TUESDAY 25
- Glen Martin Rajpaul murders his wife Gillian, sets their Penal home alight and then hangs himself inside the burning house

WEDNESDAY 26
- Nizam “Sheriff” Mohammed, 29, a coconut vendor is shot dead at College Road, St Augustine.
- Ralphie Ramcharan, 41, is found floating in a river in Barataria. The man whose hands were bound was chopped to death.
- Ashley Mathlin, 18, ambushed by five men while walking along Bournes Road, St James. He was badly beaten and then stabbed to death.

FRIDAY 28
- Norman Durgadeen Paris, 55 shot himself at Agricultural shop in Rio Claro, after shooting his lover Christine Knights, 39. Paris’ actions was as a result of him claiming to have contracted AIDS

SATURDAY 29
- Anthony Stewart, 71, a businessman is found murdered inside his business — Nana’s Place at La Romaine. Reports are that he was trying to ward off a bandit who broke into the business place.

SUNDAY 31
- Ria Blackman, 20 of Sea Lots and Keith Barrow, 25, of Laventille found dead in a car at Gonzales.