‘Concrete man’ charged for murder of Linden teacher

A 21-year-old labourer from Amelia’s Ward, Linden, was on Thursday formally charged with the murder of a local teacher, days after the fatal incident that sent shockwaves through the community.
Shaka Phillips, known as “Concrete Man,” was arrested on July 20 and appeared virtually before Senior Magistrate Rondel Weaver at the Linden Magistrate’s Court to answer to the capital offence.
The charge stems from the July 19 killing of 26-year-old Jenel Pollydore, a teacher of Lower Kara Kara, Mackenzie, Linden. The incident reportedly occurred at Central Amelia’s Ward.
During Thursday’s court proceedings, Phillips was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge. Bail was denied, and he was remanded to prison.
The matter has been adjourned to August 28.
Phillips, in his alleged confession of the crime, told investigators that on July 19 he had been calling Jenel’s cell phone, but she was not answering. As a result, he went to the R&R Hotel in Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden, where a wedding reception was being held, and saw Jenel talking to a man.
He allegedly admitted that he confronted her and asked why she was not answering his calls, leading to an argument. He stated that he became upset, took a gun from his shoulder bag, and shot her. Pollydore ran into the hotel yard, and he chased her, shooting her again. He saw her fall to the ground, then fled the scene on a bicycle and went into hiding in Amelia’s Ward.
He told investigators that he subsequently went to ‘Adams boat landing’ and threw the gun into the Demerara River. Police said that he was taken back to the scene and the area where he claimed he threw the gun; however, due to the spring tide on Sunday, investigators were unable to conduct a search for the gun. The interview with the suspect was video and audio recorded.
The man was arrested at South Amelia’s Ward hours after he killed the mother of three.
Initial police reports concluded that the couple had been in a relationship and were cohabiting, but Pollydore had reportedly separated from Phillips after enduring repeated physical abuse.
A restraining order had been taken out against him, but that did not stop the violence. The victim’s relative, Malika Pollydore, told investigators that they were attending a wedding reception at the hotel when the incident occurred. Pollydore was standing near the hotel’s gate when Phillips approached her and questioned why she was not answering her phone. An argument followed, during which he pulled out a handgun and shot her.
“She tried; she did everything”
In a live video interview conducted by Simona Broomes, former Government Minister and member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), the woman’s stepmother, Madonna Pollydore, said that she had endured harassment and abuse at the hands of her child’s father.
Meanwhile, her father said that Phillips had tried to stab her previously.
“He would show up at all hours. He even threw gasoline on himself to light himself on fire. He took her phone, and he damaged it. Once, in front of the children, he started lashing himself in the head with a hammer.” Repeated reports were made to the police, but the family claims their pleas for help were ignored. “We were told they didn’t have a patrol. One officer even told us to ‘throw stale pee’ on him. They did nothing.”
Despite a restraining order and ongoing complaints, Phillips continued to stalk Pollydore, showing up at her workplace, home, and other locations, even as she tried to protect her children. The most recent of the Pollydore’s children is just three months old.
The victim had confided in friends that she feared for her life. In a voice note shared online, Pollydore said she broke up with Phillips because he had “started acting like he was running mad.” She said, “I didn’t block him because I didn’t want to take his child away from him.”
“She tried. She did everything. We made the reports. She got the restraining order and still, she died.” The stepmother lamented. “When she was alive they did nothing, now that she dead, a set of them guarding her body. For what?!” she asked.