Hanover triple tragedy - Cop kills man accused of beheading friend and slaughtering another

Western Bureau:

Until he broke up with his girlfriend recently and began acting strangely, 30-year-old Keron 'Timber' Watson of Cascade in Hanover was just a regular member of his community.

However, things changed last Saturday when he allegedly beheaded his best friend, 22-year-old Keniel Hall. Things took another ugly twist on Monday when he slaughtered 45-year-old landscaper Howard Ellis.

Watson's reign of terror in the community last weekend ended early yesterday morning when he attacked and wounded an inspector of police and was shot and killed by another policeman.

"He (Watson) was just a normal youth, just like any other youth in the community," a resident told The Gleaner yesterday. "The break-up with the girlfriend shake him up bad, but nobody expected this from him."

The triple tragedy, which has left the residents of Cascade sad and perplexed, started minutes before midday on Saturday when Hall, an unemployed resident of Rejoin district, visited Watson at his Cascade home. Minutes after he arrived there, Hall was mercilessly attacked with a machete and his head severed. His tongue was then cut out, his eyes dug out of their socket and his head split and the brain removed.

When residents realised what had happened, they raised an alarm and tried to apprehend Watson. However, he fled into nearby bushes. With assistance from the police, the residents spent Sunday and Monday searching for him without luck.

"We have to find him because he is out of his mind and we nuh want him kill nobody else," a resident told The Gleaner on Monday.

Watson, who wore locks prior to Saturday's attack, resurfaced in the community as a 'bald head' at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Monday and attacked, with a machete, Ellis, who had his head partially severed and died on the spot.

Acting on information, the police went to a house in the community yesterday morning. When the lawmen entered the house, Watson emerged from under a bed and attacked a police inspector with a knife, causing wounds to one of his hands and his head. Watson was shot and killed by another policeman.

While Watson's death has brought some relief to Cascade and surrounding communities, there were no celebrations of his death, especially among persons who knew him well.

"We have to commend Inspector Carl Brown (the officer who was injured) and his team because they may have saved many lives," a resident said to The Gleaner.