Trinidad: Two chopped to death, three Venezuelans held

Aarif Mohammed's driver's permit
Aarif Mohammed’s driver’s permit

(Trinidad Guardian) The new year, 2021, got off to a bloody start as two men were chopped to death in separate incidents in Morvant and Macoya on January 1.

In the first incident, around 4 am, Morvant resident Darryl Villafana was hacked to death in front of his daughter and months-old granddaughter as the nation welcomed the new year.

The 50 year old, of Coconut Drive, was killed when two masked men entered his home.

Pleading with the killers to spare her life as she pointed to her young child who lay asleep on the nearby bed, Villafana’s daughter watched as the killers walked to a waiting vehicle and spoke amongst themselves before they drove off.

Recounting how terrified she was when she burst into his home begging for help and safety, Villafana’s elder brother Russell cried on Saturday as he said his brother did not deserve to die that way.

Russell, who lives just a few feet away from Darryl, said he was asleep when the incident occurred.

He told the Sunday Guardian, “Darryl’s daughter does not live with him, but she came to spend time with her father for the new year.

“They didn’t cater for her because she does not usually be there. His house is easy to open so they went in and found the three of them asleep. My brother said (name called) what is this one boy…and with that, they began chopping him.”

Admitting he had been asleep and did not realise what had happened until Villafana’s daughter entered his house crying and shaking, Russell said, “She tell me she begged them over and over to spare her because she just had a baby. They leave her and walked outside to a car that was waiting for them, they jump in and stayed a little

while before driving off. She was inside peeping and did not come out until the car left.”

He believed his brother, who worked as a PH driver and did odd jobs in the area, was killed over a woman.

Russell claimed Darryl had gotten close with a woman who lived nearby and it might have been this association that cost him his life.

He said it was only after Darryl’s death that he learned of the verbal threats that had been made towards his brother.

Russell claimed a report had also been made to the police, but he could not confirm if any action had been taken.

In the second incident around 9 pm at Macoya Extension Road, Tunapuna, Aarif Mohammed, 43, of Assaraff Road, Charlieville, was killed during a domestic dispute with two Venezuelan nationals who were said to be his relatives.

Up to late Saturday, a Venezuelan father and his two sons, aged 20 and 24, remained in police custody.