– had recorded video confession on phone
Deodat ‘Simon’ Persaud, 21, who succumbed at the New Amsterdam Hospital after ingesting a poisonous substance, had admitted in a video recording on his phone that he murdered the two Corentyne broom vendors.
The bodies of Florry Papiah, 33, and Jennifer Pooran, 19, of Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant were discovered under some branches on Sunday September 30 with deep chop wounds.
They had left home with Persaud for the Adventure backdam the previous day to “cut broom.” He returned without them and claimed that they had gone to sell the brooms.
Relatives told Stabroek News last evening that Persaud said in the recording that “he loved his wife and child but they don’t want anything to do with him. He say nobody nah like him ‘so me jus’ f—- up Florry and Jenny.’ He mean that he kill them…”
They said he recorded the video before ingesting the poison. Police were questioning him at the hospital a few days later when he told them about the recording on the phone.
“He tell the police if dem want to know what happen they should check his phone. He tell dem dat his grandmother gat the phone,” relatives said.
According to relatives, his phone had fallen while he was at the hospital and his grandmother picked it up. He had asked her for it but she kept it instead.
Persaud who died on Sunday evening, just over one week after murdering the women had told police that a misunderstanding over the broom proceeds had led to the murder. He claimed too that there was a disagreement over the inheritance of his grandmother’s house.
Relatives had also told this newspaper that Persaud had been accused by Papiah of robbing her of her broom proceeds.
Persaud resided with his aunt [Papiah], her two daughters, Shivanie,
15 and Anita, 12, along with Pooran. He told relatives on Monday evening that there were “problems” in the house. “He said whenever he say anything,” Jenny would push in she mouth and he didn’t like dat.”
Reports are that he admitted that he “sit and plan out the murder… and that he kill Florry first and then he go and kill Jenny.”
Another aunt, Joan, was supposed to go with the trio but she changed her mind and she was thankful that her life was spared.
Persaud told relatives, when asked, that he did not intend to kill Joan. “He said he woulda leh she sit and watch what was taking place.”
But Joan told this newspaper, “I woulda dead too if me de go because I won’ta sit and watch him killing my sister.”
He also said that he hid the cutlass that he used to end the women’s lives. Police reportedly retrieved another cutlass at the scene.
When Stabroek News visited the home yesterday, an aunt, Dolly Papiah said they had received a message from police officers on Sunday morning that his condition had deteriorated and that they should go and see him.
Another aunt, along with Persaud’s ex-wife, Lisa Ally and their daughter visited him and when they spoke to him all he did was look at them. They were told that doctors had given him 24 hours to live.
Persaud asked his uncle, John and two of his cousins later if the officers were going to lose him [handcuffs] so that he can go home to see his grandmother.
Dolly said that some time after her bother and nephews left the hospital they received a call from the hospital that he had succumbed.
A post-mortem examination is expected to be performed on the body soon.
Persaud leaves to mourn his year-old daughter, grandmother along with other family and friends.
Meanwhile, the two women were laid to rest on Friday at the Babu John cemetery.
