MAN KILLS GIRLFRIEND, PUTS HER BODY UNDER HIS BED

WHAT started out for a St Catherine woman as an innocent weekend trip to visit her lover in St Thomas ended in tragedy after her body was found buried in a shallow grave along a seaside in Duhaney Pen on Tuesday evening.

The 36-year-old victim, Latisha Bravo, who left her home in Linstead on Sunday, was reportedly strangled to death by her boyfriend, who then left her body hidden underneath his bed and went to work.

On his return, he allegedly took her body to a nearby beach where he buried her beneath the sand and piled several large stones on top of the shallow grave.

Bravo, a store keeper who is also called Keisha, had been reported missing on Monday night by her relatives in St Catherine, and was found on Tuesday evening after her 34-year-old boyfriend reportedly confessed to killing her and led police to the spot on the beach where he had buried her body.

The suspect reportedly told friends and family that he had accompanied his girlfriend to the bus stop and had put her on a bus when news initially came that she was missing. He was taken into custody on Monday night.

According to the police, the suspect, who is to be charged with murder, allegedly confessed that he and Bravo had a dispute and he choked her to death on Monday morning around 7:00 am.

It is further alleged that the suspect then retrieved the woman’s body from under his bed about 8:00 pm and went and buried it on the beach, which is in walking distance from his house.

Members of the community and relatives of the suspect said they were in shock when the woman’s body was found.

Family members and relatives said the disturbing news came as a complete shocker as the suspect was known to be a jovial and quiet person.

“Right now me caa believe my son do that. everybody know how me grow my two boys — anything wrong, me a the first person to call,” said Sharon Dorman, mother of the suspect.

“This is the last thing mi expect him fi do; me naa expect this, me a expect him fi stand by him and him two boys,” she added.

According to the woman, she always warned her son never to abuse women and even when he was victimised by the mother of his child, she advised him to take the high road and let her go without fuss.

“Wey happen never need to happen. a me him see 24 hour a day, a me a him wife, a me him live wid,” she said. “We as parents, we nuh put up with foolishness, and if him father was alive him wud dead before the police come fi him,” said Dorman.

According to her, she was not home for the weekend and knew nothing of what had transpired or that a body was inside her home when she returned home Monday evening.

“On Monday when I come I was sweeping out the house and him come and take the broom and say him we sweep round the back room, but I wasn’t ‘preeing’ anything. but the body was here and if the police did come I would be in custody now,” the woman said.

According to Dorman, she has no clue what went wrong with her son and agreed with a relative that a psychiatric evaluation should be done to see if he has a mental problem.

“Something trigger him, something went wrong, a nuh him that,” she said.

Another relative, Jason, a cousin of the suspect, said, “A born know him for 35 years and I have never seen that side to him; it’s total shocker to the family and the community,” he said.

“ We use to him a people person who is always jovial, but there is time when he is reserved,” added.

He pointed out that the accused was from a no-nonsense family who did not condone wrongs and therefore could not understand why his cousin would do something like that.

According to Jason, he heard that the dispute started after someone called the suspect’s girlfriend’s phone and he wanted to go through her phone

He said he also heard that she told him from Friday that she was coming but arrived on Sunday.

But Jason said even if his cousin was of the view that he was getting “bun”, that would still not justify what he confessed to doing.

“Me caan see anything outside of mental illness or some serious psychological issue,” he added.

A community member and friend who plays football with the suspect on the community football team for which he was the goalkeeper also said that it was the last thing anyone expected of the suspect.

“When I heard that the girl was missing, I was saying a must man yard she gone cuz we never a pree that,” he said, while pointing out that his friend should have just ended things with his girlfriend if he had an issue with her.

In the meantime, the suspect’s uncle, Winston Dorman, who was also in disbelief and shock, said he has no sympathy for his nephew.

“From yesterday (Tuesday) me don’t even eat, me caa believe a thing, but me no really sorry fi him. me love him but me nu sorry fi him,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “We — this family — don’t condone these things, and up to the dead in the grave supposed to shock.”

Meanwhile, Superintendent Marlene Wilson Christie, who is in charge of crime in St Thomas police, while noting that the incident has pushed to 12 the number of murders in the parish since the start of the year, urged residents of the parish to be more aware of the behaviour of people around them.

“I am imploring persons to try and pick up on the signs. and where you see a wayward child or youth in the community who is going down the wrong path, call the police so we can make the necessary intervention,” said the officer.

The superintendent said majority of the murders in the parish are related to domestic issues and therefore are not easy for the police to prevent.

Nevertheless, she said her team was doing all it could to keep residents safe.