Labourer beaten to death, wife in custody

Police are investigating the murder of Ivor Thornhill, a 36-year-old labourer of ‘E’ Field Sophia, who died on Thursday after being beaten and wounded on Christmas night.
Investigations disclosed that Thornhill was living at ‘E’ Field Sophia with his common-law wife, a 38-year-old sales representative, for the past four years.
According to a report from the Police force, the woman told officers that her husband would constantly accuse her of being unfaithful and would verbally and physically abuse her.
The woman said that on Christmas morning, she and Thornhill had a misunderstanding at Kitty Market, where he again accused her of being unfaithful. As a result, the woman left Thornhill at the market and went home.
At about 19:00h on Christmas Day, she left home and went to the Pink Shop located at ‘E’ Field Sophia, where she saw Thornhill at the said shop, consuming alcohol.
She claimed that Thornhill approached her and started accusing her of being unfaithful to him while he was working in the interior after which an argument ensued between them during which she alleged that Thornhill threatened to kill her. Thornhill picked up a Lucozade bottle and threw it at her. The woman said she walked away and began heading home on ‘E’ Field Dam.
A short while after, she said she saw her husband waking on the dam and hiding himself in some bushes. She claimed she then saw two men on the dam and told them that Thornhill was following her and she was fearful for her life.
She said the two men told her to walk home and they were going to look for Thornhill. Shortly after, she said she saw the two men in a scuffle with her husband on the dam.
Police in a statement on Thursday said that the woman reported that she then ran away in the direction of her home and a while after she returned to the area and saw her husband, covered in blood, being placed into an ambulance.
She said she left the scene and went home. At about 12:00h on Boxing Day she went to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) where she learnt that Thornhill died while receiving treatment. As a result, she went to the Turkeyen Police Station and reported the matter.
Meanwhile, an eyewitness reported that on the night of the incident at about 19:40h, he was at home when he heard his dogs barking which caused him to make checks. As he stepped outside of his home, he used his flashlight and saw an unidentifiable man ride past his home on a bicycle, heading west.
The 37-year-old weeder said that he exited his yard and heard a male voice calling for help on the dam and he went to the area where he saw Thornhill lying on the dam in blood. As a result, he ran to the front of the dam and raised an alarm. He also saw Thornhill’s reputed wife Leslyn Norton sitting on the dam a short distance from where the deceased was lying. He said he told her what happened and claimed that she replied “Is good fuh he, he should f*#@ing (expletive) dead.”
The man said he immediately called for an ambulance which later arrived on the scene and took Thornhill to GPHC.
The scene was processed by detectives and a knife was found at the scene. The body was examined, and multiple wounds were seen to his face, stomach and ear. Several persons in the area were questioned. Checks were made for the suspects but they were not located. The body is currently lying at GPHC’s mortuary, awaiting a post-mortem examination (PME). The man’s reputed wife was taken into custody as investigations continue.