Man allegedly slays sibling in squabble
Published:Wednesday | April 5, 2023 | 1:25 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
An alleged long-standing domestic dispute is said to be behind Tuesday’s gruesome killing of 37-year-old mason Anthony ‘Pops’ Smikle, reportedly at the hand of his older brother, in Ebony Park in Toll Gate, Clarendon.
While the family has declined to speak with the media, residents said that even though the siblings are usually embroiled in disputes, they were shocked by Tuesday’s fatal outcome.
The police report that about 9:15 a.m., Smikle and his brother had an argument, which subsequently led to a tussle.
The brother then reportedly used a knife to inflict multiple stab wounds to Smikle’s upper body.
The injured man was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed while being treated.
According to one resident, the two siblings had a fight on Saturday, but that altercation was disrupted after police officers arrived on the scene.
“A police team happened to be in the area and mash it up and bring them home, so maybe this killing would a gwaan from Saturday,” one resident said.
Recalling the moments leading up to the Smikle’s murder, one resident told The Gleaner, “The two a dem was at a shop and a throw words on each other, but Pops (Smikle) seh him nah bother entertain no negative vibes because a him birthday month.”
Smikle would have celebrated his birthday on April 16.
The Ebony Park area is a part of the York Town division in southwestern Clarendon. Councillor Uphel Purcell told journalists on Tuesday that he was jolted by the incident.
“I feel so down because I passed the young men out here in the morning. I went out and came back and saw them still at the shop. I went back out and while out, I got this sad, sad news,” said Purcell.
According to the councillor, the tragedy is compounded by the fact that at least four children are affected, as both men are fathers.
He has also appealed for citizens to resolve disputes amicably and to make reports to relevant stakeholders if they get wind of potential domestic disputes.
“Whenever there is an incident, any signs or information coming out that any family is having a dispute, please contact me, the police, a pastor or anybody, because I hear that the older brother was threatening to kill the younger brother from yesterday and nobody said anything,” said Purcell.
He added: “I am imploring [you], please speak out. You don’t know what the end results will be. I feel it for their mother, because even though those are grown children, the mother always works hard and tries to take care of them.”
Up to July last year, there was an almost 100 per cent increase in the number of Jamaicans who reported being victims of domestic abuse or violence over the last five years.
Reported cases of domestic violence had reportedly increased from just over 4,000 to around 8,000.
The parish of Clarendon had seen a 62.5 per cent increase in murders up to March 31; having recorded 16 homicides when compared to 10 over the 2022 corresponding period.