The man, who attempted to kill his wife before ingesting a dose of poison on Tuesday in the Black Bush Polder, Berbice, has died; while the husband of a now deceased woman, who also died on Tuesday after a lethal dose of poison, is denying that he forced her to consume it.
Dead: Shanesia Hussain
The two suicides rocked Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
Dead are 30-year-old Amar Jeffrey of Lot 7 CZ Community Zone, Mibicuri, South Black Bush Polder and 27-year-old Shanesia Hussain of Lot 224 Mibicuri North; while Sherry Satnarine Muhammad is now hospitalised after being forced to drink a poisonous substance.
Reports are that Hussain consumed the poison about 14:00h on Tuesday and was pronounced dead an hour later. This publication understands that the mother of two and her husband, who were married for 10 years, were having marital issues that led to the breakdown of the marriage.
Dead: Amar Jeffrey
Hussain’s husband, who gave his name only as Murphy, said he was at home watching television when his wife rushed into the bedroom and bolted the door. Sensing that something was amiss, he said he tried to enquire from his wife what the issue was but he was unable to get into the room. He said that he then kicked opened the bedroom door.
According to Murphy, he found his wife lying at the foot of the bed. He said he smelled poison and called a neighbour and rushed her to the hospital.
However, villagers told this publication that Hussain had been accusing her husband of having extramarital affairs. Murphy, however, denied those allegations and also denied allegations that he forced her to drink the poison.
“All the allegations that people are making are not true,” he told this publication.
Meanwhile, in another section of Black Bush Polder, Amar Jeffrey forced his wife to consume the poisonous substance before also gulping down the substance.
Reports are that Sherry Satnarine Muhammad had moved out from their home and spent six days with a male friend at Johanna, which is another of the four polders in Black Bush.
After returning home, she spent five weeks before leaving again.
On Sunday evening, Jeffery reportedly went to Johanna and demanded that his wife returns home. She agreed but on her way home, she was flogged by Jeffrey.
Later that evening, she left home and went back to Johanna.
On Monday, Muhammad’s friend reportedly telephoned Jeffrey and told him to come and collect his wife.
This newspaper was told that Jeffrey collected her but she did not go to her home; rather, she went to a neighbour’s home and spent the night. Jeffrey also stayed at the neighbour’s house.
On Tuesday morning, Muhammad made a report to the Police that Jeffery had been stalking her.
According to the neighbour, who asked not to be identified, Muhammad was leaving to go to her mother’s home at Belvedere, when Jeffrey went into her storage room and collected a bottle containing poison.
“Some boys was passing on a tractor going to work and she call them to come and see what Jeffery doing. When they stop the tractor, he get up and run and grab she and throw she down”.
The woman said she then rushed to get the Police.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses say that Jeffery held his wife’s throat and threw some of the contents of the bottle into her mouth and then threw some on her face before drinking the rest.
Both were rushed to the Mibicuri Hospital, where Jeffrey died.
Somewattie Satnarine, the mother of Muhammad, said that her daughter was living in an abusive relationship and was trying to get out.“He don’t give she money and plenty times I does got to help them. When I ask she ‘Why she staying with him?’ She tell me that because of the children. The girl did not want to stay with him because he threaten she that he gon kill she,” Satnarine said.
“Me daughter always telling me, ‘Mommy, steady he ah beat me’…he giving she to run the house, it aint enough”.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey’s mother, Lela Harilall told this publication that her son was finding it very difficult with his wife’s actions.
She explained that during the days leading up to the incident, Jeffrey told her to collect the valuables from the house and the children.
She said on Tuesday afternoon she received a phone call and the caller informed her that her son was at Mibicuri Hospital after ingesting poison.
“When I go, he tell me that he sorry fuh what he did…He tell me that he got too much of pain and he ask me fuh some water fuh drink,” the woman related.
Jeffery had been working as the pound attendant for the Mibicuri Police Station and had also worked as a labourer for a rice farmer in Mibicuri.
Meanwhile, Muhammad remains a patient in the hospital, while the two children are with their grandmother. Police have since launched an investigation.
