A woman whose family fought off a knife-wielding intruder into their home Sunday night is thankful that they escaped without any major injuries, even as four other persons were murdered in similar incidents that same night.
Evena Edwards, 50, of Dasent Cottage, said she had fallen asleep in her living room and had forgotten to secure the main entry to the house.
Around 12:40 a.m. Monday, she heard her 16-year-old niece — who has been living with her since she was 16-months old and calls her “Mommy” — calling for her.
Edward said she felt as if she was dreaming but still answered the teenager, who told her that a man was inside her bedroom.
Edwards said that when she got to her niece’s bedroom, she saw a man bareback, who turned and began swiping at her (Edwards) with a knife.
She said she asked the intruder what he wanted and he responded, “Yo’ ain’t know what I want? Yo’ ain’t know what I want? Go back go sleep! Go back go sleep! Alyo Go back to sleep and leh me get what ah want.”
Edwards told iWitness News the intruder then told her niece, “Come leh we go.”
She said she called to her daughter who lives in another section of the compound.
As the intruder heard Edwards’ daughter approaching, he ran to the front door of the house and began stabbing at her with the knife.
Edwards told iWitness News that her daughter used one of her arms to shield herself while using a broomstick to beat the intruder.
She said her daughter sustained a small cut during the incident, but beat the intruder until the broomstick broke into pieces.
The intruder had left a bag outside of the house, Edwards said.
“He took up the bag as if he was going to return. Maybe it is the good God who talked to him. He just took his bag and ran go across there,” she said, point to the river nearby.
Edwards told iWitness News that they were so shaken up that they didn’t have the presence of mind to call the police immediately and did so sometime after 1 a.m.
She said that the light was on inside the house as she and her grandsons, ages 7 and 4 years old, had fallen asleep in the living room.
Edwards, who said she is 5 feet 3 inches tall, told iWitness News that the intruder was not much taller than her.
She said she found out sometime around 9 a.m. Monday that three persons had been killed in their homes — including two in Dasent Cottage — and another murdered at the roadside Sunday night.
“Then is when I get real frighten and thing,” Edwards told iWitness News.
“You see I had my door closed? I never used to have my door closed during the day. I always used to have it open. I’m still shaken because it could have been me. It could have been my whole family because me and two of my grandsons were in the sitting room,” she said, meaning that they could have been killed by the intruder.
“I give God all the praise and everything. I say it was the blessing of God. God’s blessing was on us. I was asleep,” she said.
Edwards told iWitness News that the intruder was wearing black pants and was bareback.
He, however, had a black, striped jersey over his head.
She told iWitness News that her niece said the intruder did not have the jersey on his head all the time, but had put it down on a bag next to the bed where she (the niece) was sleeping.
Her niece told her that after she raised the alarm, the intruder put the jersey over his head and pull out the knife out of his waist.
She said she did not know the intruder at all.
Edwards’ said she sometimes goes to her niece’s bedroom to check on her and would fix her clothes or cover her with a sheet when she is sleeping.
The 16-year old female told iWitness News that when she felt the person touch her, she thought it was Edwards, but still looked to make sure, at which time she saw the intruder.
The intruder then started to wrestle with the teenager.
“But she is a little tyrant by herself. She started to fight back with him,” Edwards said.
She said her niece told her that she had been trying to cry for help but the intruder covered her mouth and only released his grip after she cuffed him.
Police say that the description that Edwards and her household gave of the intruder fits that of Jurani Baptiste, 18, of Sandy Bay, who they say they believe killed the four persons in Campden Park, Old Montrose and Kingstown Park Sunday night.
Teen suspected of 4 murders seems to have mental health problems
The action or inaction by this family is rampant in SVG. Had they called the police immediately, as they should have done, maybe some people would still be alive. But again that is if the police turned up. Police stations should opened 24/7 365 days a year. There should also be police available to respond to imminent requests 24/7 365 days a year. I am sure doctors and nurses work those hours, so why not the police, especially in a sick country like SVG.
The attitude displayed by the family that was attacked seems to be a normal behaviour in todays SVG. One family member had his bike stolen and when he knew the culprits; I asked him if he reported the incident to the police. His excuse was that the mother promised to pay him and he has a son and didnt want to send the youth to jail. Now come on! Isnt this the right time to demonstrate to your son that this could happen to him if he goes down the wrong path? All I hear in SVG are excuses. Its the island of excuses.
Thats why I am not buying the excuses give by this new police commissioner. Sir, what are your plans to curb the increase in crime on the island? Ralph is incapable of handling this portfolio. He wants to be Jack of all trades and screws up everything. What are the police in the villages/towns doing to protect the people living in those communities? Building more police stations was; and is not the answer. And hiring more police has little effect on the crime rate which is out of this world. As a matter of fact some of the police are criminals themselves.
Vincentians are now seeing what happens when a society is divided. People are afraid to talk when they see a crime committed, even when it happened to them, like this recent case. As long as the people in communities are divided along party lines, there will be no peace and crime will increase. The attitude is when your neighbours house is on fire: let it burn, especially if the support the other party. Little do these people realize that fire spreads and may soon engulf their property? Its a waste of time to ask the churches for help in bridging the gap. They too are divided along party line and some are afraid to speak out against Papa, even when hes caught with his pants down.