Suspect apprehended, family recalls tragic details

Canal No 1 murder

Relatives are now recalling the harrowing tale which they experienced on Sunday night, after 62-year-old Tameshwarie “Laila” Sonilal was brutally murdered by a known villager. On Monday the lad was taken into Police custody.

The elderly woman, who resided at Lot 2 Good Hope, Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara (WBD), was stabbed several times about her body, leaving the entire community in a state of shock.
Based on information received, the incident occurred sometime after 20:30h. The man, who is said to be in his early 20s, gained access into the upper flat of the building where he committed the act. The elderly woman, who lived with her brother, was alone in the house at the time.
Her cousin, Shiloom (only name given) told Guyana Times that she was at home when the incident occurred. Other persons on the Conservancy Dam recalled hearing a scream which alerted them to rush over to the property but the door was bolted shut. It took some time for public-spirited persons to break the door. As they repeatedly called for her, there was no response.
“She holler and her brother was on the dam. There was some other people on the dam. When them hear the screaming, they tell her brother that something wrong…that Laila screaming. All of we run and come. I calling for she and no answer. We go up the step and turn the lock and the door not opening.”
Upon gaining entry into the house, the group of men heard a clatter and quickly discovered the young lad hiding in the ceiling. He was armed with a cutlass and hurled it as they attempted to apprehend him. Relatives stated that he is well-known in the community.
The distraught woman said she rushed to her cousin’s bedroom, where she discovered the lifeless body lying face down on the floor. As her eyes circled the room, she realised that there was a pool of blood and the bed was also stained from the assault. A bloodied knife laid on the ground, not too far away from the body.
“I tell the boy let we break the door and when they break it, they hear a scrambling. They look up in the ceiling and see the boy. When I go in the house, I know the room that she sleeping in. I go in the room and she was on the floor by the bed lying down. When I look good, then I see the blood all over in the place. Then I scream out and holler for the boys,” the cousin detailed.
Unfortunately, a power outage ensued, allowing the suspect to make good his escape by jumping over a fence. The police were summoned and the woman’s body was removed from the scene.
Shiloom recalled that she would visit her cousin frequently and they would always have good conversations. It is the first time the family has experienced such tragedy. Sonilal was described as a “hardworking” person who sold fruits at the Stabroek Market.
“When I come out and I look up, the boy had a cutlass and wave it. I said this is Kevin. And I ask him why he murder Laila. The blackout come and the boy get to escape. He climb out by the verandah and get away.”
On Monday the suspect was apprehended and questioned by Police. Investigations into the gruesome act are continuing.