While Peter Sylvester, husband of murder victim Irma Rampersad, says he has turned to alcohol to drown his sorrows, other Brasso Seco, Paria, villagers have chosen to keep indoors and to themselves.
In the aftermath of the recent tragedy that resulted in three people including a toddler being brutally murdered and Azmon Alexander being charged with kidnapping and murder, villagers in the quiet rural community are left struggling to come to terms with what happened, as they try to pick up the pieces and resume some semblance of normalcy.
A distraught Sylvester told the Sunday Guardian, "After the alcohol wear off, the sadness and the anger is still there. I have so many unanswered questions. I hope one day I will get the answers I am looking for."He said although he was frequently in touch with a psychologist, he was doubtful he would ever lead a normal life again."I live at the house where it all began, and I just find myself going through sleepless nights and watching around missing the ones that I love. It real hard for me."
Sylvester said he got a chance to meet with and talk to his stepdaughters, Felicia, 17, and Jennelle Gonzales, 19, after their rescue."I am glad they are alive and well, but they are going through a hard time. Jennelle's only question is why it happened and why her daughter Shania was killed."A mini-mart owner, who did not want to be identified, said that over the Christmas season and New Year's holiday, villagers chose to remain indoors and had been keeping to themselves since the murders.
And not even the heavy police presence in the area seemed to have assuaged their fears."Years before, everyone paranged at one another's house and really made the season merry, but this year it was not the case. It seems as though people were afraid or cautious to come out. The season passed very quiet," the businessman said.The businessman believes that normalcy will soon return to the village with the police presence in the area.
"Since the incident police officers have been based at the Brasso Seco Community Centre and have been conducting between four to five patrols a day, so the villagers are now starting to feel safe and less frightened."At a house located a stone's throw from the police post, a group of villagers were heard singing classic love songs. The sweet and addictive rhythm of the live parang music they played echoed in the community. They were celebrating the birthday of villager, Jerome Jeffers.
One of the parranderos, Pius Hernandez, 54, also said the Christmas season was quiet but that they felt free celebrating at Jeffer's house parang-style."Before we were kept back, but now we feel free. All our stress is gone, and we can enjoy life and the village can once more be how it used to before," Hernandez said.
Azmon Alexander, who escaped from the Mayaro Magistrates Court on January 31, 2014, after appearing on kidnapping and robbery charges, was labelled as a "person of interest" in the disappearance of Brasso Seco residents Irma Rampersad, 49; her daughters Felicia, 17, and Jennelle Gonzales, 19; and Jennelle's daughter, 14-month-old Shania Amoroso.In his attempt to elude capture by the police, he began wearing women's clothing.
Alexander was also suspected to be involved in the disappearance of Rampersad's neighbour, Felix Martinez, 52.The family members were last seen on October 26, 2014, and were reported missing two days later. Some time after, Martinez was reported missing but residents thought he had gone hunting.
On November 8, Martinez's body was found in a sleeping bag along with baby Shania. On November 11, Rampersad's body was found near a tree. All three were found badly decomposed in the Brasso Seco forest. Both Rampersad and Martinez were strangled, according to autopsies. The cause of death for baby Shania remains unknown as her autopsy was inconclusive due to the advanced stage of decomposition.
Three days after Rampersad's body was found, sisters Jennelle and Felicia were rescued from a make-shift camp deep in the Lalaja forest. The two were guarded by two gunmen who, following a shootout with police and soldiers, escaped into the bushes.
On November 15, a 17-year-old suspect surrendered to police saying he had information pertaining to the girls' capture.