WHY KILL LOTOYA?
Family of slain St Elizabeth hotel worker still baffled by brutal slaying in Santa Cruz
Lotoya Williamson in a relaxed mood weeks before she was killed
SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — It’s a question that is tormenting family members and friends. Why, they ask, would anyone have chosen to kill, even hurt, Lotoya Williamson?
The hotel sales representative, native of Knoxwood, south-west St Elizabeth, who would have turned 26 on August 18, was shot dead by businessman and ex-politician Warrenton Barham at the commercial centre of Santa Cruz on Monday, July 17.
Barham, a losing candidate of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) for the Siloah Division in parish council elections of 2007 and 2012, was in turn shot dead by a policeman after he allegedly refused to drop his weapon and appeared to be lifting it in a threatening manner.
“Nobody deserves this, especially not my daughter. She was such a harmless, fragile person who wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Williamson’s grieving mother, Sophia Smith-Sharpe, told the Jamaica Observer during a visit to the family home in Knoxwood on Thursday.
“She was not only beautiful on the outside… she was even more beautiful on the inside,” said Smith-Sharpe, who arrived home on Wednesday from Florida after hearing of her daughter’s death.
Similar sentiments came from residents of the Knoxwood community. Antane Ricketts, described Williamson, affectionately called “Sashan”, as a “very quiet person … I hardly ever hear her talk and I have known her over 10 years…”. He reflected that, “I believe the truth dead… because both parties are dead but I don’t think is because she do wrong why she is dead.”
Paulette Brown, a close friend of the family, remembered Williamson as a “friendly, loving, little girl”, who was “humble, quiet, not talkative…”
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When reached by telephone, a co-worker of Williamson spoke of her disbelief at the death of someone whom she described as a “top sales representative” and a “very nice person”. Williamson was happy and welcoming to others but also “reserved”, the co-worker said. “She was always punctual, if I were to tell you that Lotoya was late one day, I would be lying,” she said.
Giving details of her daughter’s life, Smith-Sharpe said Williamson is the second of her six children. She attended Knoxwood Basic School, Mountainside Primary, and Newell High.
On leaving school, Williamson did a HEART/NTA training course followed by a year-long course in hospitality and tourism at Bethlehem Moravian College in Malvern. Before doing the course at Bethlehem, Williamson had worked for a time at the Table Top Restaurant operated by Barham and his wife, just metres from where she would eventually die.
Williamson landed a “good job” (as a sales representative) just over a year ago and had been doing very well, Smith-Sharpe said. She described her daughter as a hard-working, “very ambitious” young woman, who set goals for herself.
Responding to rumours that her daughter may have been killed because of the gift of a motor vehicle, Smith-Sharpe told the Sunday Observer that her daughter “bought the car” after securing a bank loan.
Other sources, including the police, told the Sunday Observer that the car in question was bought with loan financing from a leading bank.
Smith-Sharpe confirmed that on the day of her death, Williamson — driven by her boyfriend in the car she had acquired less than a week earlier — visited her hairdresser in the same plaza in which Barham’s restaurant is located.
Smith-Sharpe said she was told by the young man that as he waited for Williamson, while seated behind the steering wheel, Barham approached and spoke in praise of the car’s condition.
He then leaned on the car and started asking questions including who was the owner? Where was she? Having got answers, Barham is said to have returned to his business place.
He would return sometime later and again lean on the car. Shortly after that, sometime after 4:00 pm, Williamson is said to have left the hairdresser and walked towards her car. On seeing her approach, Barham walked to meet her and spoke.
Williamson did not respond but walked past him towards the car. Smith-Sharpe said she was told that Barham followed her daughter asking questions. “He was asking her, ‘So what happen? Whose car is this?’ She said, ‘it’s my car,’ and he said ‘when did you get this car’ and she said ‘one day last week’.”
By now, Williamson’s boyfriend started asking “what’s going on?”
Williamson told him “don’t say anything, I will handle it…” But by now the conversation between Barham and Williamson had turned angry and ugly. He allegedly pulled his licensed gun and started to fire.
Smith-Sharpe told the Sunday Observer she was told that Barham’s last words to her daughter before he started triggering his gun were: “Yu know you are a very pretty girl?”
The first shots were apparently not aimed at Williamson, but at her boyfriend. Williamson shouted a warning to him to “run!” ringing in his ears the young man ran for his life, taking evasive action as he did so.
Barham then allegedly turned his weapon on the young woman, shooting her in the leg as she attempted to scramble away across the back seat of the car. She came out the other side of the car, but fell. Barham allegedly shot her in the face, killing her.
It was at that point that he was challenged and shot by the police officer who had run to the scene having been startled by gunshots.
On Thursday, Smith-Sharpe said she was getting “very little sleep”, but was surprised at how “strong” she was bearing up. She credited her response to “the Almighty God” and the inspiration of her dead daughter. “She (Williamson) never liked to see me cry,” she said.
She told how her daughter had sent her a loving WhatsApp message just the day before she died.
She also spoke of how her daughter’s boyfriend was traumatised. He had been constantly crying and had to be taken to the doctor, Smith-Sharpe said.
“I am trying to help him to cope, I tell him that Sashan doesn’t want him to cry…” said Smith-Sharpe.
Ok I can now choose which version of the stories making the rounds I will believe. Imma go with this account n I might I add SYM to all fake blogs spreading dem fake news tarnishing the dearly departed lady!!
Sincerest condolences to her family and young man I hope you get the professional help you need to go with our prayers for you to cope/heal.
Something is not right with the story. Latoya may have been a quiet lady but the life she was living caused her death. Why was the business man inquiring about the car? Why would the business man approach this particular car? Why did latoya interject when her boyfriend inquired whats going on? Young lady RIP.
So u telling me..this man don’t kno this girl and just shoot her and kill her please…if a so Jamaica a run me ago migrate…no sah…a big chunk of the story missing
He obviously knew the girl, since it was stated in the article that the girl worked at the restaurant …..
Before doing the course at Bethlehem, Williamson had worked for a time at the Table Top Restaurant operated by Barham and his wife
It is clearly a situation where there was a “past” relationship between the girl and Barham. This whole thing was caused by jealousy, since Barham shot at the boyfriend first. It appears the girl was now independent and moved on and Barham couldn’t deal with the thought she did not need him anymore.
:ngakak :ngakak :ngakak :ngakak
Startled! Me startled too mi love ! Lolololol
The most insulting thing is to have someone spit pon you and say a rain drizzle.
Mother! Stop it! You daughter and the man did de. If someone else did kill her then the death would be a mystery.
Ask Mr. Traumatize why him had to drive HER car, sit and wait. The hairdresser so happen to be right where she use to work with the man that killed her.
Why Mr. Traumatize didn’t call her or go tell her man outside a inquire and a lean up a wait?
She may have been able to tell that punk to pick her up elsewhere rather than walk out into that ambush.
She had to have been dating this man and left him. Why is it when these women leave them they can’t just move on.
These young women do not know that there is a proper way to end a relationship without damaging a man’s self-esteem or leave him with his dignity intact. You cannot be disrespectful in the process or you could lose your life. Believe or not, a lot of these men are uneducated and ignorant. The last thing you want to do is publicly shame a man or disrespect him in public for others to see.
Actually, it is best to let the other person think they are the one that end the relationship, instead of the other way around. In reality, you wanted the relationship to end, but you let the other person think they have the upper hand.
This cannot be the womans faul. People thinking like you is why violence against women continue to rise in Jamaica. Regardless of what a woman or man does to their partner, killing someone cannot be justified. Assuming that they had a prior relationship is just that; an assumption.You implying that she did not end this assumed relationship in tbe proper way is nonsense. All those women who got killed in Jamaica by their partner, ex partner or delusional man must learn the proper way then??? Foh with that. Psychopaths like this man need to learn something .I’m not going to assume the girl wronged this man in any way because i do not know. If she did, he as an adult, needed to learn how to deal with heart break and or betrayal.
I’ve had stalkers and men getting angry with me for no damn reason so im not going to assume a woman did wrongs everytime another Jamaican woman turns up dead- killed by a man
This version is shit. Let’s reason this out, the mother speaks about the car being bought by the young lady, that settles one of the main rumour. The other that he sent her to school, did she take a loan to finish school? The man who it seem was her former boss helped her. Dem young gal love tek man fi idiot. Unno fi learn, caan tek man tings dem waan hype pan man. The innocent ‘boyfriend’ get caught up in a something wey nuh have nutten fi duh wid him. A him a di only victim here.
This 25 year old girl did deh with the 70 year old man and thing get sour heard she went there and told him it is over. One of the papers reach a story saying they were lovers. Disgusting murderous act and disgusting that a 25 yr old would mek a 70 yr old f**k her for things better she did map out how to rob him. Cuz in the end she get rob by him two fold. Plus dem say it’s the second time he is pulling gun and the second time shooting someone. First person didn’t die.
She’s a very pretty girl. Even though the killer was married, was Latoya his side chick? Because he was a businessman, did he give her money to buy de car, and now she have new man a pose up inna de car wid har, and it bun him? Or, like how har madda live a foreign, was it she who send de money to Latoya fe buy de car, on top a de loan wey she get from de bank? Or, did she tell de killer some heated words, and it piss him off, and tru him angry, him go fe him gun and kill de girl? Or, tru she used to work fe him, and fe har car look nicer dan fe him own, him feel say she a showoff pon him, and him kill har. I know dat dead man and in dis case, dead woman tell no tales, but I agree wid Startled say a big part of dis story is missing. There is definitely more to dis story.
Yardie can’t tell you not to go with your version but most of the stories you have heard is correct. This shooting was fueled by jealousy. Mr. Barham and the deceased had a long intimate relationship, I will leave it there.
Its obvious that the girl and the old man were involved . This is from the point of view of the boyfriend who obvioulsy didn’t know of any relationship Latoya had with that murderer. Either he gave her money to buy the car and he see a next man a drive and vex. Or she moved on with her life and he was a jealous , dark old man. Either way RIP Latoya
Suh mi get it suh mi sell it…She an him dey. Him sen har guh an buy/help buy the car. Now shi graduate shi start hype pan him an get young bwoy a moggle pan him. Heated words exchange and him kill har. Full time dem young yah stop tek ppl fi idiot, every day bucket guh well, one day di bottom must drop out (no pun intended). Not a she buy car by harself.
She started as a waitress at his restaurant, he sent her to school, help wid deposit fi di Lexus Jeep and guaranteed payment of Bank Loan. Him know di vehicle why him was asking questions about it. Girl find young bwoy. Why show off pon old, ugly, trigger-happy Barham now cuz u tink u reach? All mek young bwoy drive vehicle go park up inna plaza where di man restaurant is, all a wait while she go do hair? She i too bare face bright…sorry to say
Well the wife is the winner here, go cash life insurance policy, and go pon a cruise wid a young bwoy.
Boyfriend, just count u lucky stars cause you could have been the first one that died
FROM HER FB PAGE, NOVEMBER 1. 2013
https://www.facebook.com/lotoya.williamson
I feeling so trapped, its like I’m a teenager all over again and ur parents use to tell u where u can and can’t go. U say its love but i think its obsession i just want to feel free, I’m like a prisoner in my own body.
WONDER IF IS DAT OLD BAT SHE WAS REFERRING TO??
SHE ALSO POSTED THIS ON APRIL 27, 2012
today is a year since my daughter pass 🙁
SHE HAD A CHILD?
BETWEEN SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2013 SHE POSTED ABOUT INSECURITY, MOVING ON, DOING IT HER WAY WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT ETC
WONDER IF IT WAS ABOUT FUGLY GRANPA BARHAM SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT
MEK MI LEF HAR PAGE ALONE YA….
She look like some a mi St E family dem wid dat same mole at di side of har nose. Dem from Ipswich, Mountainside etc
She and Di man were together he gave her the down payment for the car and sent her to school. The man snapped when she mek her new man a drive the car. The mother sugarcoating the truth and observer writer was trying to not blow up the whole thing. The mother may not have been supportive of her lifestyle but listen she knows the truth dem deh.
in these time woman cant tek man money and a tek dem fi fool at the same time. the man dem nah romp fi kill the woman dem. what u dont have work for it or leave it alone.
Rip my dear, you did not deserve to be murdered. May your family and friends find the strength to deal with your loss.
My guess is that she may also have threatened to tell his wife of their sordid affair and he snapped. The stupid games that these young women play and the mothers that tolerate it, is a disgrace. The mother knows more but is painting her daughter as whiter than white. This is what happens when people are too licky licky and nyamy nyamy. Work and have your own and stop beg and play stupid games for money. Too many of these stories are coming out and may explain the amount of women that are being murdered. No one deserves to lose their life under such barbaric circumstances but when men snap they often lose their minds.
Gabrielle the mother knows, he did addition to the mother’s house. There are voice notes going around, dem did deh up to the day.
This is such a sad situation! It is also a lesson learned one as well…. if u cya take the heat doh go ina the kitchen… not everything that looks glitter is gold.