A mason was in the wee hours of Monday chopped to death along La Penitence Public Road, Georgetown, over an old grievance.
Dead is 32-year-old Rodwell Phillips also called “Fishie” of Broad Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Police stated that his body was found lying on the roadway between midnight and 1:00h on Monday.
A blood-stained cutlass was found next to the man’s motionless body. Investigations revealed that one chop wound was seen to the centre of his chest, one to his right-side face, one to his left side back, and one to his left foot.
Phillips was pronounced dead on the scene and his body was taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home awaiting post-mortem.
However, at the home of the dead man, his brother Christopher Prudent told Guyana Times that he was at work when he received a telephone call from his sister who related that his brother was dead. “I was at work and couldn’t leave so, they told me that he was chopped about his body,” the brother added.
He added that after he came off from work on Monday morning, he went to the Funeral Home with the expectation of seeing his brother’s body but the facility was closed when he arrived. His mother and other relatives, he related, went back later in the day.
Dead: Rodwell “Fishie” Phillips
Nevertheless, the brother stated that according to reports he received, there were several eyewitnesses to the crime. In fact, the Police related that they had questioned several persons and are yet to review the CCTV footage. “There were lots of eyewitnesses. I was told and the Police were also at the scene sorting out issues.”
He could not say if the man suspect was arrested.
However, the aggrieved brother added that his brother and someone were involved in a heated argument sometime back and this might have led to a scuffle. As such, the brother believes that Phillips’s death is connected to the old grievance.
“From what I hear…the person who had the problem with my brother might have attacked and chopped him on Sunday night… we can’t be sure because the Police didn’t say if they had the suspect.” He also believes that with his brother’s attitude, no one person committed the act.
“He is someone who would retaliate if you do him something… He was like that… he would put up a fight to protect himself… and I think, this is what might have happened… no one person can take down by brother…”
Prudent further added that his brother was different from the others. “We just want the Police to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice. That is all we want.”
Phillips leaves to mourn his two young sons, parents, and siblings.
Police are currently investigating the fatal chopping.
