Woman kills brother during argument over undercooked rice by wife

By Lakhram Bhagirat

An argument over undercooked rice resulted in a woman stabbing her brother to death at Parika Backdam, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), on Sunday afternoon.
The police said that 20-year-old Alex Morgow of Parika Backdam was stabbed once to his left side chest and died almost immediately. The suspect, his 31-year-old sister Lashena Margow, remains in custody as the investigation is progressing and charges are expected to be brought against her soon.

According to information received, the incident occurred just about 17:45h on Sunday while the young man and his 36-year-old reputed wife Joyann Atkinson were involved in a physical altercation over the food she prepared.
Investigators said that the dead man pushed Atkinson to the ground and began slapping and kicking her in the presence of his sister. This resulted in an altercation between the siblings and it was then the sister ran to the kitchen, armed herself with a knife and rushed back to her brother as the argument continued.
Eventually, she dealt him the fatal stab. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Leonora Cottage Hospital after he was rushed there.
Guyana Times visited the Parika Backdam area on Monday and residents related that the couple lived deep in the farmlands and access to their home would have been a futile task since no one was there. However, this publication caught up with Atkinson who was on her way to a friend’s home in the village.

The woman related that on the day in question, her sister-in-law and she went to the Parika Market while her husband was working in a nearby farm. The now dead youth was a fisherman but had been working on the nearby farms ever since the Government introduced the COVID-19 measures.
Atkinson explained that after they were finished at the market, her sister-in-law started to consume alcohol with some friends at the first koker in Parika. After she finished drinking, they made their way home and got in just about 17:30h.
Her husband got in shortly after that and she served him his food, consisting of chicken stew and rice, but he was not pleased, claiming that the rice was undercooked.

“He been angry with me because he been working and I cook for he but he tell me ‘like this is the rice you cook for me.’ I tell he ‘yeah what happen to it’ and he tell me ‘must feel it’ because the rice been little hard. Then he come up to me and he chuck me and he cuff me pon me hand and that was it between me and he,” she recounted. He reportedly accused her of consuming alcohol.
The woman said following the confrontation, her sister-in-law, who was in the lower flat of the house, confronted her brother. She reportedly told him that his wife was not consuming alcohol and that he should not be angry.
This further incensed the young man, who then told his sister to stay out of his “business”.
“But with the alcohol she still continue fuh argue with he and then he and she start. She chuck he and when she chuck he, he push she back because he don’t want fuh hit she because is he sister. Then she and he had it out and he forget about me because she and he arguing,” the wife added.

Further, she related that his sister pushed him out of the verandah and as he was making his way back in the house, she dealt him the fatal blow. After receiving the stab wound, he reportedly fell down the stairs and into the mud, where he died.
Atkinson stated that his sister was left in a state of shock and disbelief. The aggrieved wife noted that she went to the residential area to get assistance but it was too late. The police were summoned and upon arrival, they picked up the injured young man and took him to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His sister was also taken into custody.
The grieving woman said that her sister-in-law lived with them while adding that her children would visit from time to time since she and her husband separated.
The couple has been together for the past year but has no children together. They both came from Region One (Barima-Waini).
When asked about whether the now dead man would repeatedly abuse her, Atkinson told the publication that there were “ups and downs” and that she was never severely abused rather he would “slap me but never beat me bad…he does only slap me when he angry.”
She described her husband as a loving individual who took care of her. She noted that all her relatives are in Region One and she would now have to stay with friends and find a job until she can become financially stable to begin fending for herself.
Arrangements are currently being worked out to have the dead man’s body transported to Region One, where he will be laid to rest.