‘Satan was in him’ - Killer soldier opened up to confidante about stormy relationship

Despite the pleas for patience and restraint by a motherlike, elderly woman to whom he often turned for counsel, Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Corporal Doran McKenzie defied her earnest appeal moments before gulping down a final drink, intoxicated with deadly anger.

Giving her name as Miss Fayth, the confidante said that McKenzie had often vowed that he would slay his practical nurse partner, Suianne Easy, citing infidelity grievances. But the bartending counsellor said that she thought that she had outed the fiery rage flickering in his eyes during their final rap session on Saturday night.

“I don’t know what happen to him last night. Satan stand up in a him last night, not God. Satan was there with him last night,” she told The Gleaner during an interview in the 4 West community of Greater Portmore, St Catherine.

McKenzie, 33, a soldier for more than a decade, later proceeded to his home on 23rd Pathway and killed 34-year-old Easy, whose body was riddled with chop and bullet wounds. He took his own life shortly afterwards.

“All now me can’t come to it say him still do it. Never tek him serious. Even last night when him come and say him a go dweet, and mi a try convince him say him nuh fi dweet,” said Miss Fayth.

McKenzie was said to be a big drinker and even placed in her hands the Glock that was later used to kill Easy and take his own life.

That pistol is expected to play an important part in the police investigation into whether it was an army-issued weapon.

Miss Fayth believes it was the nub of a dispute the soldier had in a phone conversation on Saturday night.

“One a dem call him last night and say something bout a gun removed. That is the same gun. He said to the person, ‘Weh the f%*k yuh come a ask mi say? I am your superior. I am above you. You nuh supposed to a call me a ask me that,’” he reportedly said.

The couple, according to Miss Fayth, endured a stormy relationship, which played out on Saturday night at his favourite watering hole, where Easy is said to have called him about seven times. Easy, she said, appeared to know she was destined to die.

“As him come, she call him. She said, ‘Yuh carry home two clip. A kill you a go kill me tonight.’ And him say, ‘No, babes, mi nah kill yuh,’ and him leave and come back,” she said.

“It’s the first time I ever see him with a gun.”

McKenzie is said to have at least two children and was reportedly in the process of finalising a divorce.

Miss Fayth said that her husband had tried to intervene in the explosive relationship and had urged McKenzie to walk away. Her husband and McKenzie had planned to go house-hunting on Sunday.

But despite those plans, it seemed that the JDF corporal had been determined to kill – and to die.

Civil/military cooperation and media officer for the JDF, Major Basil Jarrett, told The Gleaner yesterday that the army was conducting an internal probe and would provide details of the findings today.

“Right now, we are working with the police to assist the investigation,” Jarrett said.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com