Essequibo Coast mother of 6 stabbed to death by husband

Dead: Farida Khayum
The house in which the woman was stabbed to death at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast

Days after a mother of five was shot, burnt and buried in a shallow grave by her husband, another woman was on Thursday evening stabbed to death by her husband during an argument at their Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) home.
Dead is 39-year-old Farida Khayum, a mother of six of Lot 9 Market Street, Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast.
Reports are the woman and her husband were involved in a heated argument during which he armed himself with a knife and stabbed her several times about the body. Realising that his wife had died, he immediately injected a poisonous substance into his body.
This newspaper was told that the woman, who worked at the Hack Rice Mill, was rushed to the Suddie Regional Hospital but she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her husband was hospitalised at the same medical facility under Police guard.
Khayum was the only daughter of Golin Hordowar, who was in a state of shock when this newspaper visited the home on Friday. She, however, related that her now dead daughter was actually the breadwinner in the family since her husband is oftentimes in the interior and hardly ever sends money to take care of the house.
The elderly woman, who has had a stroke, explained that she retired to bed early on Thursday but was awakened by her daughter screaming “I going to die”. As such, she left her bedroom and as she ventured into the living area, she saw her daughter lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
She said she immediately raised an alarm and sent her 10-year-old grandson to alert the neighbours, who in turn summoned the police. As the police arrived at the scene, ranks found the suspect in an unconscious state with an empty bottle, which is suspected to have contained a poisonous substance, nearby.
Both the injured woman and the suspect were rushed to the hospital.
Neighbours told Guyana Times that every time the suspect returns from the interior, he would consume alcohol and there were regular fights between him and his wife over his behaviour. A neighbour said that the man was seen consuming alcohol prior to committing the heinous crime. Neighbours recalled hearing the argument between the couple earlier that evening.
With the death of the woman, her six children are now left with their sick grandmother.
Regional Chairman Davanand Ramdatt has since committed to assisting the children and the family. Persons who may want to assist the family can contact the grandmother on telephone number (592) 614-6543.
This incident comes on the heels of the death of Zaila Sugrim, who was murdered by her husband and buried in a shallow grave in his garden at Crane Village, West Coast Demerara. The woman and the suspect had separated for over eight months but their union brought forth five children.
On Saturday last, the woman was attending a birthday party for her youngest child and was later collected by her estranged husband. That was the last time her relatives saw or heard from her.
They attempted to contact her but calls to her mobile device went unanswered. After one day elapsed and there were no signs of the missing woman, the police were contacted and a search was launched.
The police would have searched several properties of the businessman, Ryan Sugrim, but came up empty-handed. After intense interrogation, the businessman led detectives to an area where he buried the woman.
She had a single gunshot wound to her head and her body was burnt. He has since confessed to shooting the woman, dowsing her with gasoline and setting her on fire. After that, he reportedly dug a hole and buried her body.
Guyana Times understands that the woman was shot and killed in the house while her children were sleeping. It was reported that the couple has been married for the past fifteen years. According to relatives, the woman lived in an abusive home ever since. (Mohanlall Seulall)