Farmers fearful as two colleagues murdered in Westmoreland
Published:Thursday | February 18, 2021 | 12:21 AMHopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer
The cold-blooded murders of two of their colleagues within 24 hours has driven fear into dozens of farmers across Westmoreland who now believe they are being targeted by deadly criminals.
The murdered farmers have been identified as 62-year-old Gladstone Morris, otherwise called ‘Banny’, of Bethel Town, and 27-year-old Elroy Odane Brown, of Mount Stewart district.
In the first incident, residents of the neighbouring community of Maxfield in Hanover grew suspicious on Tuesday when they stumbled upon Morris’ Ford pick-up abandoned in the community about 8 a.m.
When the police arrived, it was found that the vehicle was found to contain a television set, a fan, a power saw, and other personal possessions belonging to Morris.
This led investigators to his home, where they found his body inside with the hands and feet bound, mouth gagged, eyes taped, and a shoelace around the neck.
One investigator said that it appeared that Morris’ attackers robbed him, strangled him to death, and then made their escape in his vehicle before abandoning it in Maxfield.
On Wednesday, armed men kicked in the front door of Brown’s five-apartment board dwelling house about 1 a.m.
It is believed that he was also robbed before the men shot him to death and set fire to his Zughang motorcycle and Toyota Camry motor car, which were parked in the yard.
His body was discovered on the floor in a burnt back room after the police and firefighters were summoned.
One investigator told The Gleaner that while it was clearly a link in Morris’ case, they are still not able to confirm if Brown’s murder stemmed from robbery.
Several families in Westmoreland told The Gleaner that the killings show that they are at risk as they believe their daily movements are being watched.
“I know that there is very little the police can do in a case such as this because the parish of Westmoreland is very big, and the police cannot know when and where these gunmen will strike,” said one Bethel Town farmer. “I personally do farming on a large scale, and at times, I have to travel very far and return home late at nights.”
He continued: “Morris is a close friend of mine, and him is a Rasta who work hard inna bush and do him juggling a day time, and look how easy dem kill him. That mean seh none a wi don’t safe.”
The farmer suggested that community watch groups be formed to notify the police of any suspicious movements in the parish.
Other farmers, who also believe that they are being targeted, agreed with the suggestion.
The police have urged the farmers to be vigilant and notify them of suspicious activities.