- by Met
The Trelawny police theorise that Thursday night’s double murder of a Trelawny couple was a reprisal for the killing of Owen Green earlier that day in the same community.
The dead have been identified as 50-year-old painter Robert Gardner, who also went by the monikers “Firelinks” and “Roaster”, and his spouse, 48-year-old Marcia Thomas, otherwise called “Cia”, both of Kinloss, Trelawny.
Police went to the scene after residents reported hearing explosions. Upon their arrival, the police spotted Gardner lying outside his house and Thomas lying in the bedroom in a pool of blood. They were both found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and were taken to the Falmouth Public General Hospital where they were pronounced dead.
Police said about 10:30 am the same day they were called into the community by residents who heard a barrage of gunshots, and later found Green, with gunshot wounds, slumped over the steering wheel of his motor car, which was parked along a section of the roadway.
“We believe that this double murder is a reprisal for the murder that occurred earlier involving Owen Green,” said commander of the Trelawny Police Division, Deputy Superintendent Winston Milton.
He assured residents of the normally quiet, rustic community that the police have intensified their presence in the area to guard against any further revenge killings.
“Based on our actions we believe that we will arrest the situation. We are pursuing investigation and we have also put in additional resources to mitigate the possibility of further reprisal,” Deputy Superintendent Milton said.
The senior police officer said that that Green, who was in the police radar, was facing a charge of illegal possession of firearm and was reporting to the Clark’s Town Police Station as a condition of his bail.
The slain painter’s distraught sister, Gene Gardner, tried hard yesterday to come to terms with the gruesome killing of her brother and his spouse.
“I am baffled. There are so many unanswered questions because I don’t know who to ask and I don’t know what’s happening or what has happened. Him and nobody don’t in a no dispute, not that we know of. So I don’t know,” the teary-eyed sister said.
She described her brother as a hard-working individual who not only painted for a living but constructed building blocks and operated a taxi.
“He was a hard-working person; he was arrogant in his own way at times but he was very hard-working, jovial, friendly and got along well with people. Both of them had a child together,” Gardner said.