Tax woes, jail fears drove 70-y-o to suicide, says widow
Published:Monday | January 10, 2022 | 12:10 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
To access this article in full please login or register today
Mounting back taxes and health issues are suspected to have driven 70-year-old businessman Donald Anthony Thompson to have allegedly committed suicide overnight on Saturday, his wife, Paulette Thompson, has said. The elderly man, who operated a...
Mounting back taxes and health issues are suspected to have driven 70-year-old businessman Donald Anthony Thompson to have allegedly committed suicide overnight on Saturday, his wife, Paulette Thompson, has said.
The elderly man, who operated a wholesale business in the Corporate Area, was found hanging from a tree at the back of his Kirkland Close, St Andrew, house on Sunday about 9 a.m. in what police have confirmed is a suspected suicide.
Mrs Thompson, who was already planning the funeral for her brother who was murdered by gunmen in Kingston three weeks ago, told The Gleaner that her world has been shattered with the death of her husband.
“Why? Why did he hang himself? He didn’t have to do this to us. There is no problem too bad for him to kill himself,” the distraught widow said as she watched his body being removed to the morgue.
Mr Thompson was described as a loving husband and father to seven children, five of whom were from previous relationships.
The widow said she was shocked that he ended his life but that he had apparently telegraphed his distress when he reportedly mentioned to her last week that he was minded to jump into the sea.
“We are heartbroken,” she said.
Mrs Thompson said that her late husband had been doing battle with Tax Administration Jamaica over outstanding taxes that ran into millions of dollars. He also had sleepless nights fighting stage three prostate cancer, said Mrs Thompson.
“I know he was fearful of going to jail. He even gave me some money last week and told me that’s his bail money if they arrested him,” she told The Gleaner.
“I spoke to him at about 8:30 Saturday night while he was downstairs and I told him to come on upstairs to bed, but he said he wasn’t ready as yet, so I went to bed hoping that he would join me.”
When she woke up in the middle of the night and did not see him in bed, Mrs Thompson said she was not unduly worried as her late husband often spent time downstairs surfing the Internet as he was busy seeking to purchase cold-storage equipment.
Nearby residents who sought to console the weeping wife said that they were in shock, describing Mr Thompson as a good neighbour who was very engaging.