…Granny, mom, son killed at home execution-style
(Trinidad Express) “An execution”
This was how senior police officers described the killing of three members of an El Socorro family on Friday afternoon which has left the community in a state of shock.
The deceased have been identified as Radeshka Timal David, 48, her son Zachary David, 22, and her mother Kumarie Kowlessar-Timal.
All three victims, the Express was told, had been shot to the back of their head.
“The victims were all found on a couch in the living room of the top floor of their home. They each had gunshot wounds to the back of their heads. This was intentional. Now why they were killed, we are not sure yet. But this here was an execution,” the Express was told.
Police said that at about 4.45 pm on Friday, an autistic relative of the family, who is a Canadian citizen visiting Trinidad, came to the home.
He told police upon entering the home he went to use a bathroom downstairs.
While there, he heard a series of explosions but at the time, he did not think anything of it.
It was not until he went upstairs sometime later that he found his relatives dead.
The police were notified and a stream of officers led by PC Sanderson and PC Burnette responded.
Residents of the area told the Express that they heard the gunshots, but at the time they did not think anything of it.
“Boy honestly if I tell you honestly that gunshots is a regular thing in this area you wouldn’t believe me. Now we doh have people getting shot or anything, eh. But every night you will hear gunshots. Guaranteed like you will see the stars. It’s just the normal thing in this area. So I heard the shots, but I didn’t think it was anything. It wasn’t till I hear it on the news that I realize people get killed and I came outside,” explained one resident of the area who only gave his name as Ryan.
They noted that Kowlessar-Timal and her family had lived in the area for “over 30 years” and usually kept to themselves.
They were described as “quiet, hard-working, but private persons who never troubled anyone.”
The Express briefly spoke to a female relative of the deceased, and she explained that the family was shocked by the incident.
“We have no words right now. I don’t know what’s going on. This just seems surreal,” the woman said.
Police said that while they had no official motive for the killings, last week there was a major drug bust in the community.
“This family, for now, we have no records on them. They are not known to us as having criminal links. While we are looking at every stone, what I will say is that there was a drug bust recently. Now we don’t know if persons would have thought the family was involved or leaked information or what. Because the circumstances before us, will heavily lean away from a robbery gone wrong. But we are looking at all angles,” the Express was told by senior officials. The killings have pushed the murder toll to 285 for the year to date. The comparative figure for the same period last year was 305.
