Fears of child trauma as mom’s throat slashed by killer

An eight-year-old child who ran frantically from his home and alerted relatives that his mother was killed on Monday reportedly recounted how the suspect lifted him up after the attack and glared at him before leaving.

The child, the youngest of two for the deceased woman, was not harmed.

The 35-year-old attacker turned himself in to the police in the company of his supervisor a few hours after the tragedy, which has stunned the community of Dunfa, Lluidas Vale, in rural St Catherine.

Relatives are hoping that the child receives counselling after being the sole witness to the gruesome incident which claimed the life of his mother, 24-year-old Alicia ‘Lisa’ Patience, about 7 p.m. on Monday.

Marlene Jarrett, a cousin of the deceased, told The Gleaner that she is glad the child was not hurt but is concerned for him and his grandmother, who has since been hospitalised, following the disturbing news.

“The little boy burst speed and come out a di house and say [name redacted] kill Mummy … . So mi say, ‘A lie you tell’, and him say, ‘Yes, [name redacted] kill Mummy,’” Jarrett said.

“Him say when him kill him mother, him lift him up so and put him back down,” she added.

Fearfully, Jarrett entered the house with caution and was shocked to see Patience lying on the bed.

“Mi freeze … . The whole of her neck full of blood,” she said.

The man in custody is the common-law widower of the deceased.

Residents said there were telltale signs of relationship that crumbled and became increasingly toxic, with reports of quarrels, destruction of a shop, and the severing of parrots’ heads.

The two reportedly maintained communication despite their disputes.

The relatives showed journalists the blood-soaked bed and sheet they have since thrown outside.

Patience was an occasional hairstylist. The suspect reportedly worked as a cane cutter at a nearby farm.

Residents said Patience was often warned to be careful and that her mother was critical of the relationship, which had been ongoing for about three years.

“If you see him, him look like him can’t mash ants. If you see him, it come in like him all dumb … ,” a resident said.

A senior policeman with knowledge of the investigation told The Gleaner that the suspect is on suicide watch after uttering that he is praying he will see the deceased again.

“They had a dispute, and let us put it this way, a lack of attention and the fact that she might be looking in another direction. He is not supported by the family … ,” the cop said.

“During the dispute, a knife came into play and she was wounded in the neck area,” the senior crime investigator said.