The widow of historian Dr Walter Rodney believes that claims published in a book authored by Gregory Smith, the suspect in his murder, were made to tarnish her husband’s character and seemed to have come “from a poorly written spy novel.”
Dr Patricia Rodney took the stand once more yesterday to continue and complete her testimony for the commission of inquiry (COI) into the June 13, 1980 death of her husband, who died in a bomb blast near the Camp Street Prison.
Mrs. Rodney was questioned on a number of claims made in Smith’s book, “Assassination Cry of a Failed Revolution: The Truth about Dr Walter Rodney’s Death” – a book she said that she never read. Smith was an army electronics expert and had handed over the device that exploded in Rodney’s lap as he sat in a car.
In the book, authored by William Gregory Smith, it was indicated that on June 13, 1980, Smith had a planned meeting with both Walter Rodney and Donald Rodney. However, Mrs. Rodney strongly refuted the claims and said that Donald Rodney’s arrival at the Rodneys’ South Ruimveldt home had been “completely unexpected” and “mere circumstance.”
According to Mrs. Rodney, the day of June 13, 1980 had been well-planned; both she and Walter had decided to stay home
