Man kills mother, 5-y-o nephew in Trelawny
Published:Monday | May 20, 2019 | 12:00 AMHopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer
A Trelawny woman and her five-year-old grandson were chopped to death by her own son in Martha Brae on Saturday night. He was later shot and killed after allegedly attacking members of a police party who had gone to the location to carry out investigations.
The deceased has been identified as 56-year-old Jennifer Gordon, otherwise called ‘Coolie’, a domestic helper, and five-year-old Levon Walker, who lived at Hugh Shearer Drive in Martha Brae, Trelawny.
The accused has been identified as 28-year-old Leon ‘Duval’ Whyte, who is believed to suffer from a mental illness.
“This is not the first time that him attack the child,” one neighbour told The Gleaner yesterday.
“I have been living here all my life and we and Coolie grow together,” he said, referring to Gordon. “The rest of the boy family them live a Bunkers Hill, but from one time him chop up him father, them send him down yah and him a give trouble since.”
Another neighbour said that White was violent and never travelled without his machete. “He always beats the child in a most life-threatening manner and on several occasions I had to report the incident to the police.”
Senior Superintendent of Police Kirk Ricketts, who is the commanding officer for Trelawny, told The Gleaner that Gordon and her child lost their lives in horrific circumstances.
“The police are doing everything possible to render counselling to the community members, and the immediate family members of all three victims,” he said.
“It is also unfortunate that when the police went to the location to subdue Mr Whyte, he attacked them with a machete and was fatally shot. I have since gone in the area and spoke to the community members and I also spoke to the health department, and I was informed that Whyte was a patient who was treated as recently as May of this year.”
Reports are that about 11p.m., on Saturday, residents heard Gordon crying for help and summoned the police.
When the police arrived and attempted to enter the house they were attacked by Whyte.