Police are treating as a homicide, pending autopsy results, the death of a man whose body was found on his farm in Layou on Saturday.
The dead man is Kevin Patrick who is said to be in his 20s.
His friend, Michael Joseph, with whom he farmed, speculated that Patrick might have met his demise because of things he had “witnessed” and altercations in which he had been involved.
Joseph and another friend went to look for Patrick after the dead man’s girlfriend told them that he had not come home Friday night.
His body was found on the farm, where they grow plantain, corn, ochro and other crops in First Land, located north of the petroglyphs.
Joseph told iWitness News that Patrick’s body had what appeared to be two bruises to the head.
He, however, could not say if they looked like gunshot injuries, as some persons have speculated.
The body had headphones in the ears, suggesting that Patrick might have been wearing them when he died.
Those same headphones are believed to have prevented Patrick from hearing, on Friday, when
Joseph was shouting to tell him that he (Joseph) was not going to the farm that day.
Joseph said he was trying to communicate that message to Patrick around 10 a.m. Friday, but later learnt that the man had been wearing earphones.
Joseph told iWitness News that he later learnt that Patrick had gone to the farm alone, a practice with which Joseph does not agree.
He said he had been watching cricket on television, but decided to join his friend in the mountains.
However, as Joseph was getting ready to leave his home, his daughter — a primary school student — came home, saying that there were no classes Friday afternoon and Joseph had to stay at home with her.
“If school nah bin over, me mighta come ah bush you know. But through school over, me stop fuh me daughter one time. Me done put on all dem clothes here,” he said.
“Is just T20 cricket end up and tek all me attention. Me delay, delay until school over half day and me ain’t come bush again. Me cudda be walking in, witnessing certain thing, and people duh wah lef’ witness. So instead ah one body, mighta be two bodies.”
Joseph said that he does not go to the farm on Saturdays because that is his “Sabbath, spiritually”.
He, however, said that Patrick’s girlfriend came by Saturday morning and said that he had not come home, neither had he slept at another friend’s house Friday night.
Joseph told iWitness News that he and that mutual friend decided to go to the farm to look for Patrick.
“David spot him before me, telling me look the man lie down yah so (here). After we ah call and he nah respond, we decide to go down and report it to the police. We nah go too close.”
Joseph said that he and Patrick had exchanged words in the past over Patrick’s going to the mountain alone.
“He supposed to come over by me and the two ah we come mountain together. We does still tek a chance and come up here me alone because me feel say me go well with everybody. Me nah ha’ no enemy; me and nobody never beef nor nothing.
“But he get in certain other incidents with other people already so he had to be more watching his back than me.”
Asked what kinds of incidents, Joseph, said it is a “long, long story, a whole heap ah thing”.
He offered:
“Witness this and see this and who nah see from, who see and certain incidents that happen.”
He said that Patrick, however, never mentioned having been a witness in a court matter.
“Probably he see certain things or what in certain areas where certain things happen and he nah been fuh been here.”
Joseph, however, told iWitness News that in principle, it is not a good idea for someone to go to the mountain alone.
“What if you have to get a cramp, a stroke? That’s why ye nah safe to come mountain by yourself. You always need somebody with yuh. You could chop your foot or something and can’t go down back.”
Joseph said that he and Patrick started farming together in August on land belonging to someone living overseas, who has given permission for them to farm there in an effort to contain the growth of brush on the lands.
And now that Patrick is dead in mysterious circumstances, Joseph said that he will seriously consider the opportunity he had to join the army or to work in Canada under the farm workers programme.
“This farming thing ain’t go wuk,” he said.
Still trying to see if I can figure out the logics in the gentleman’s remarks in the very last comment he reportedly made in this article. Anyone care to expound on that for me Please? Thanks!
If murder, this will likely be another unsolved crime.
Also, doesn’t pass the smell test re: Michael Joseph’s being conveniently safe at home when this happened. All I am saying is that the police have to consider every possibility there is.
When someone is murdered, in most cases it is by a person who knows them good, good.
A kind of English venacular in C.Ben .Davd’s Layou is quite incomprehensible at best. What do you have to say Ben? Remember you are the Prime Minister of Layou and a Palmer as vice president.
Michael Michael,what are you hiding..After all you are always there up on the farm land with him….But coincidentally this very same day he met his demise…Then y’all went there and saw him but didn’t go close…Who sat you up ?. It’s always the closest ones they use to get to their enemy…I hope you are innocent Michael..
Another now you are considering leaving the country…Why not before..You claimed you wasn’t in the mountain that day..You knew nothing of his demise..So why now all of a sudden you want to fled st Vincent…Y’all have to place him on a no fly zone ,or ship sail list..
Error.. Another thing.. And flee st Vincent..
The language used is highly intelligible. Since when did we begin to speak like that?
Mary you are too much in a haste to post these statements. Review and edit before you click send.
I said the same thing when I read the comments. SMH…
You know what they say about assumptions!!!!!
Kenton you’re a very irresponsible journalist! If you didn’t realise or know it, you have duty to also help protect any member of society who your journalism may affect…
Mr. Michael Joseph confided in you by giving details of the murder victim; intimation that might compromise his own safety by those who killed the victim… Why didn’t you withhold the man’s name! Sascrise it’s common sense! I don’t usually comment but Cha man.
That is not the only thing. Just look at the time and dates of the various comments on this site. You will see notice another thing. If anything most SVG people are quite intelligent; you can’t fool od school them easily.
Kevin Patrick is a young man in his prime whose life had been violently cut short. My condolences to his family and friends. This is one crime too many.
People die, that is a fact of life but when people lose their lives because of crime then it takes a whole other dimension. I hope that the police solve this crime so that the family and the victim can get some kind of Justice (here on Earth).
When I was a kid, we attended Sunday-school. We hated it but we went if not only because we got to go to matinee afterward. Looking back, I now see that Sunday-school did have its merits.
Thank you Mom, Granny, tanty Hulda. I love you all.