The husband of Shenese Richardson-Austin, who was fatally stabbed earlier this week by masked gunmen who entered her West Ruimveldt home, has been released from police custody.

Shenese Richardson-Austin

The man from whom the 25-year-old woman had been separated for the last four months was held at the Georgetown Hospital hours after the woman had died.

At the time of the incident, which occurred late Sunday night the woman, her sister Rayana Haynes and their mother Jean Ann Richardson were at home.

Relatives had said that while the men escaped with gold jewellery and an undisclosed amount of cash, they were convinced that the gunmen were sent to kill Richardson-Austin, judging from the way they operated.

Haynes had recalled that around 11 pm a man called at the house for cigarettes saying that he was paying with $500. Seconds after handing him the requested item, she turned to make change and it was at this point that the man forced his way into the house and signalled to three masked gunmen nearby to come inside.

According to Haynes, she was forced into a room where her mother lay asleep while the others headed to a back room, after one of them grabbed a knife from a kitchen drawer. The woman had insisted that a stranger would not know where they kept their knives.

While in the back room, the men stabbed Richardson-Austin multiple times, beating her in the process before fleeing. They spent at least 15 minutes in the house. The woman who was found lying in a pool of blood was rushed to the hospital.

Relatives had recounted years of abuse the woman suffered at the hands of her husband of three years. She relocated to her mother’s residence four months ago and it was from there that she operated her hairdressing business.
According to relatives, the man made threats, kidnapped her and would publicly hit and confront her.