Man killed over box of food

A DISPUTE over a box of food led to the fatal stabbing of a 46-year-old Caroni Limited mechanic, at Carli Bay Road, Couva, on Sunday.

The victim, Johnathon Myers, also known as Marquis, a father of two of St Andrews Village, Couva,  bled to death hours after he was dealt a single stab to his stomach with a ten inch knife. Police have since detained a 27-year-old fisherman, of Palm Drive, Carli Bay Road, Couva, who is expected to appear before a Couva Magistrate today charged with murder. At around 4.30 pm Sunday, Myers had a heated dispute with a fisherman which developed into a scuffle. The fisherman allegedly pulled out a knife and plunged it into Myers’ abdomen. The injured man slumped to the ground and fell into a drain.

Myers was rushed to the Couva Hospital bleeding profusely from the wound. He was transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital where he was treated and admitted to Ward 9. He died around 8.30 pm. When Newsday visited Myers’ home yesterday, his sister Wendy  Myers, 35, still in shock over the tragedy, said she was told by eyewitnesses that her brother had bought a box of food for his friends,  a married couple who lived a short distance away. She said her brother saw the man eating from the box of food, in front of the couples’ home and confronted him. “They had an argument and my brother hit him and the man hit back my brother. As my brother was walking off he (suspect) stab him, and my brother fall in the drain,” she explained.

Wendy said her brother’s friend, Sinbad Mustapha, put Myers into his car and left for the hospital. But a short distance away the car had a flat tyre and it wasn’t until 15 minutes later that another car was located to rush Myers to hospital. Wendy said doctors at San Fernando Hospital told her the knife “punctured the main artery which pumps the blood and there was nothing they could do to stop the bleeding”. Myers distraught mother, Veronica, 68, said she was supposed to leave the country yesterday to visit her daughter who lives in Tennessee. But under the circumstances, her daughter will now have to return to Trinidad to attend Myers’ funeral service.

The last time the mother of 12 saw her son was earlier that day when he burst a dry coconut for her to make fudge which she intended to take to her daughter abroad. About half an hour later, she said, someone told her that her son had been stabbed. The deceased had two children, Dexter, 26 and Myrse, 23, who live in Boston, as well as a two-year-old grandson, Amarie. An autopsy was expected to be performed yesterday at the Forensic Sciences Centre, Port-of-Spain. Visiting the scene was a party of officers from the Couva CID and Homicide Bureau, led by Supt Nimrod, including Insp Quashie, Sgts Housten, Philip, Burke, Cpl Corbette, WPC Rodney Neptune and PC John. Investigations are continuing.