Urging women to get out of abusive relationships, Peter Boatswain stood weeping outside a house in Gasparillo yesterday, while investigators searched for clues into the murder of his stepdaughter, Christine Joseph.
Investigators suspect that Joseph’s boyfriend, Keyon Roberts, slit her throat, stabbed her multiple times and then left her lying naked on the living room couch at his Parforce Extension Road home.
Roberts, 36, then stabbed himself before setting himself on fire. His body, covered with burns on the foot and the torso, was found lying in a teak field behind the house.
The couple had been in a troubled relationship for four years and during that time, relatives begged Joseph to get out of the abusive relationship. Although she left Roberts several times, she always returned. In an interview, Boatswain cautioned women to be careful about domestic violence.
“Once you’re in an abusive relationship, try and leave one time because it doesn’t make any sense. If he lashes you once, he can do it again,” Boatswain said.
Roberts’ uncle told police that around 9.30 am, he rushed across to his nephew’s home after hearing screams. On reaching, he heard Roberts crying out for help at the back of the house. After leaving to get help and returning, he found Roberts’ body down a hill. On checking inside the house, he found Joseph’s nude and bloodied body.
ASP Pardasie, Insp Ramkhellewan and Sgt Corrie led officers to the crime scene where statements were taken from a few neighbours. Joseph was a security officer with Allied Security Ltd, while Roberts worked as a construction labourer.
Boatswain said before last Christmas, Joseph returned home, but it appeared she and Roberts were working to patch up their relationship.
He said he began to worry when she went to work last weekend and did not return home on Saturday night. He said everyone was shocked to know that she went back to him.
“He was abusive to her, but I would not get involved. I would talk to her and her mom would talk to her, but she didn’t want to listen. Her mom would tell her that it (relationship) was not making sense, but I would not really get involved unless she came to me and said something. He came to us on December 20 and was in a violent mood on our street, threatening to kill her and her little brothers. I don’t know why she went back. People keep saying that it was love but that doesn’t make sense. There is not any love there.”
Meanwhile, police are investigating a possible murder in Palmyra Village, Princes Town. According to reports, Ste Madeleine police responded to a report of the sudden death of Hamid Moorchand.
Police said Moorchand, 52, was found dead by relatives, shortly after noon yesterday, with the upper part of his body covered in blood, which was believed to have come from his nose. However, when the DMO examined the body, he detected signs of foul play and ordered that the body be taken to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy.