Two men are in custody in connection to the murder of a man whose decomposed body, found with a gunshot to the head, was removed from a shallow grave at the back of a house in this rustic community Tuesday evening.
The deceased has been identified as 31-year-old mason Otis Patrick, also known as “Rooney”, of a Faulkland, Ocho Rios, St Ann, address.
According to a police source close to the investigations, one of the suspects who is now behind bars confessed to the killing and pointed the police to the shallow grave where the remains of the construction worker were buried after he was shot dead.
According to family members, Patrick, who is originally from Lowe River but who relocated to St Mary from a tender age, returned to his native Trelawny community to construct a wall around the premises where he was eventually killed and buried.
The premises, which has a swanky house with a BMW X5 parked in the garage, is reportedly owned by one of Patrick’s family members who lives abroad.
Another family member, one of the men taken into custody, is said to be the overseer of the premises.
Patrick’s distraught aunt, Ann-Marie Smith, also called “Pin”, recounted that her nephew suddenly went missing on March 25, some days after arriving in the community to construct a wall around the large house.
Family members became curious after the construction worker disappeared and calls to his cellular phone went unanswered.
His cousin, the arrested overseer of the property, allegedly informed members of the community that after having a meal he left Patrick at the house, but did not see him when he returned.
The police were later called in and the two suspects subsequently taken into custody.
On Tuesday, a large crowd gathered on the roadway in close proximity to the premises as they watched the police dig up a section behind the house. The decomposed body was found.
A police source revealed that large stones and marl were packed into the hole on top of the body. A plot of corn was planted on top of the shallow grave as well as around the area.
Family members reportedly collapsed as the body, clad in a blood-stained shirt and a pair of jeans pants, was removed from the hole. Patrick’s dog reportedly ran towards the hole as the cops lifted the body out.
The Jamaica Observer West was told that the mason’s body had a gunshot wound to the head, which seemed to have been inflicted at point-blank range. The scene in the garage of the house indicated that the shooting would have taken place there and the body pulled through the house before it was buried.
Yesterday the slain construction worker’s distraught father, Stervin Patrick, revealed that he ended up in hospital, where he spent a week, after hearing that his son went missing.
“When mi see dem take him out the hole yesterday (Tuesday) mi want cry, and me can’t cry,” the grieving father said.
He added: “Mi just want to get this thing over and who to put to justice put to justice. Mi a look say if Rooney get hurt it would be in St Mary or Ochi (Ocho Rios), and when me look say is Trelawny where him born and dem kill him.”
If Jamaican wicked 1 more time.
So sad
Chop off mi hand and foot, I AM NOT GOING BACK TO JAMAICA. Yeah. Wicked upon Wicked, Satan let go down there, no mercy them don’t have, even your own family kill you.