Twenty-eight women were murdered last year with the majority of the killers being their husband/partners who were abusive or didn’t accept their decision to end the relationship.
According to statistics provided to Stabroek News, seventeen of the twenty-eight women killed in 2022, were either stabbed, burnt, shot or beaten by their intimate partners who they were living with or had just ended the relationship.
In eleven of the cases, the perpetrators were apprehended by the police and placed before the courts. They are all currently on remand. Five others died by suicide while one remains on the loose.
In the month of August five women were murdered, the highest recorded in any month last year. This was followed by April, June and November which saw a total of twelve women being killed, with four murders occurring every month. No women was murdered in March.
On January 27, 24-year-old Loretta Simon was fatally stabbed by her ex-boyfriend at her mother’s ‘C’ Field, Sophia home. She was pregnant. Police had issued a wanted bulletin for Terrence Thomas, who was apprehended and later charged.
On February 8, 2022, the body of Edith Reuben was discovered hanging from a mango tree at the back of her yard at Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke-Linden Highway by her husband. Her reputed husband, Dianand and one of his friends, Aubrey Williams, were arrested and they both confessed to hitting Reuben to her head after they found her in a compromising position with another man. They were charged with her murder and remanded to prison.
Savitri Raj was stabbed multiple times on April 11 by her husband, Vijay Raj while she was sleeping at her Foulis, ECD home. More than a month after, Vijay’s body found was in the Enmore, ECD backlands. It is suspected that he took his own life by consuming a poisonous substance. Reports are that Vijay had assaulted Savitrie in the past and reports were made to the police but they led nowhere.
Two days after, 19-year-old Shenese Walks was fatally stabbed by her boyfriend at the Craig, East Bank Demerara (EBD) apartment they had been sharing. Spooner was handed over to the Grove Police Station by his relatives. He, too, appeared in court on a murder charge.
One day later, the lifeless body of 36-year-old Vanessa Rodrigues was found with a chop wound to the head. A man with whom she was last seen was arrested. He was never charged.
At the end of April, the body of 53-year-old Waynumattie Permaul was found in a shallow grave in her yard at Kilcoy, Chesney, Corentyne, Berbice. Her husband, Avemanen Permaul later confessed to choking her and wrapping her body in a bed sheet before burying her. He is currently facing a murder charge.
On the afternoon of May 27, the decomposed body of school teacher, Omega Ault was found in her Crane, WCD apartment. An autopsy later showed that she died from brain haemorrhage and multiple traumas to the head. After a wanted bulletin was issued for him, her husband Clarence Farley was arrested on the evening of June 2 at a hotel at No.78 Village, Corentyne. He was subsequently charged with murder.
The body of Donalisa Parks was found wrapped in a bag along the Corentyne Highway in Number 1 Village on June 30. She was strangled to death by her boyfriend, Collin Hazel, a Corporal of the Guyana Defence Force who told the police that he is willing to face the consequences of his actions. Hazel was charged with murder.
On August 8th, Cindy Ramchandar, 24, was stabbed four times by her ex-husband, Suraj Ganpat at Number 47 Village, Corentyne. Two months before, Ramchandar had separated from the man after she informed her mother that she was facing hard times and abuse at the hands of her husband. Ganpat eventually turned himself over to the police and was charged with murder.
Tacina Dazzell, a mother of one was stabbed 16 times reportedly by her common-law partner on the night of August 26 after she had returned home from a church concert. After he fled the scene, Quincy Roache was arrested and charged with murder.
On September 23, Rural Constable, Hannah Boston was killed after she was run over by a car driven by a Police Sergeant 17775 Roure Francis, who took his own life afterward.
Twenty-year-old Annalee Gonsalves succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital in October, close to two months after she was allegedly burned by her reputed husband, Ajay Persaud. Persaud was initially charged with attempted murder. Following her death, the charge was upgraded to murder.
A month after she was chopped and burnt by her reputed husband, Sharon Scott succumbed to her injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital on October 23. Scott’s husband, Leon Bobb had chopped and killed their son, Seon Scott before ending his own life.
Days after she was chopped during an argument with her husband, Bloomfield, Corentyne woman, Oma Davi Virasamy succumbed on the evening of November 6th. Her husband, Mahendra Paltoo was charged with murder.
Later the said month, 22-year-old Wismar teacher, Kelly Charlotte was stabbed to death by the father of her child, Leseton Baynes. Baynes was found hanging in an abandoned house.
On December 2, Omadai Lall was beaten to death by her husband at Hill Foot, Linden/Soesdyke Highway. Swift action by the police led to the arrest of Linden Kellman, who was placed before the court on a murder charge.
On December 13, the bodies of State Counsel, Asasha Ramzan and her partner, Peter Charles were discovered dead in a parked vehicle at Belle West, West Bank Demerara. Investigators had suspect that the man shot the woman and then turned the gun on himself.
Killed by relative
Between November 27 and December 2, 2022, three elderly women were brutally murdered, allegedly at the hands of their own relatives.
The eldest of the victims was 85-year-old Sumintra Sawh. She was found battered to death on her birthday – November 28 at her Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice home.
During questioning, her great niece, Roshanie Basdeo admitted to her involvement in the crime. She had colluded with a neighbour, Mohammed Ramzan Shaheed to commit the act in order to purchase a scooter and get the house. They were charged with murder.
A day before this, 75-year-old Agatha Gamell of Charity Housing Scheme, Essequibo was allegedly murdered by her 21-year-old granddaughter.
Reports had revealed that Gamell was discovered dead 15 minutes after neighbours heard her screaming in the wee hours of the morning. Her body had stab wounds and was battered.
Family members confirmed that the pensioner’s granddaughter, was suffering from post-partum depression as she began behaving strangely after giving birth to her first child.
The suspect was admitted at the Georgetown Public Hospital’s psychiatric ward under police guard. She has not been charged to date.
And, on December 2, 75-year-old Audrey Harris was allegedly murdered by her “mentally ill” nephew who resided on the ground floor of her two-storey house.
Reports are that Harris was in her yard with a hammer fixing some windows on an apartment on the lower flat of the two storey-house when the suspect walked into the yard armed with a knife.
The suspect alleged that Harris struck at him with the hammer. He responded by barring the blow and stabbed the woman in her neck with the knife. Such was the severity of the thrust that the knife exited the other side of her neck.
Harris fell on the ground and the suspect escaped on foot. Keith Walton Harris was subsequently apprehended by the police and was charged with murder.
Stabbed, robbed or strangled
Out of the remaining eight cases, five of the women were victims of disputes or home intrusions.
The most recent victim was 78-year-old Ramdai Balkarran, whose lifeless body was found in her Paramakatoi Village, Region Eight home on the morning of Thursday, December 29th.
An autopsy later revealed that Balkarran was beaten and suffocated. Her killer/s is yet to be apprehended.
On June 6, security guard Carol Davidson was also stabbed to death at East Ruimveldt Squatting Area, Georgetown over an old feud. Days later, Shamirika Gibson, who allegedly inflicted the deadly blow was charged with murder and remanded to prison.
86-year-old Mon Repos resident, Agnes Dillon was discovered dead in her apartment by neighbours with multiple stab wounds about her body on June 30th. Neman Persaud was later arrested and during questioning, he confessed to committing the crime after she didn’t pay him for weeding her yard. He too was charged with murder.
On August 8, 22-year-old Vanessa Anderson was fatally stabbed by two sisters following an argument that erupted between them the week before. The sisters, Jamacy Jason, 21 and Teffine Greaves, 29 were charged jointly with the murder and remanded to prison.
Four days after, Venezuelan woman Rosemari Torres was shot dead during an altercation with a man at Mowasi Backdam, Konawaruk. Police had said Torres and some others were drinking at the suspect’s shop when he was involved in an argument with his girlfriend. Torres and a man tried to speak to the suspect about his behaviour but he told them not to intervene. This resulted in an argument and Torres was eventually shot. The suspect was never arrested or charged.
One of the other three women was robbed and killed while the other two were strangled to death.
Twenty- six-year-old Mariam Edwards, who worked as a cook in Puruni, Region Seven was robbed and murdered between June 8 to 9, 2022.
Police had later arrested her alleged killer, Keron Hope, 25, who had admitted to the crime and led detectives to where he dumped her body. An autopsy later showed that Edwards died by strangulation compounded by blunt trauma to the head. Hope was charged with murder.
Days after she disappeared, 55-year-old Nariman Latifan was discovered dead with metal objects in her abdomen. Latifan was murdered between July 5th and 6th, 2022. An autopsy later confirmed that she was strangled to death. Police had initially arrested her reputed husband for questioning but he was released since information was provided that corroborated his alibi that he was out working at the time.
A wanted bulletin was subsequently issued for 48-year-old Dexter James aka Limuel Alphanso, who police believe is the prime suspect in the murder. He is yet to be apprehended.
And, on September 30, the lifeless body of Nirmala Sukhai was discovered in her La Grange, West Bank Demerara home. A post-mortem later revealed that she was strangled to death.
During the investigation, the police arrested Ryan Johnson, a 30-year-old porter, who she shared a relationship with and he confessed to killing her after he found out she was having a relationship with his employer. He was charged with murder and remanded to prison.
