Days after stabbing his girlfriend, former member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), 26-year-old James Rodwell Cadogan, also known as “Roddie” of Haslington, East Coast Demerara has now taken his threats to another level by threatening to kill the woman if she survives.
Twenty-three-year-old Zenida April, also a GDF rank, remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital while her mother, 48-year-old Nevorn April, who was also injured by the ex-soldier, has been discharged.
It was reported that the former soldier and his girlfriend, who were living together, were having some issues prior to the stabbing. In fact, one day before that incident, the couple had a heated argument during which he threatened to stab the woman.
As such, the girlfriend went to stay with her mother and a report was made to the police about the threats.
However, on Tuesday, the two women along with a relative went back to the man’s Paradise, ECD, home. As the girlfriend and her mother entered one of the bedrooms, the ex-soldier locked the door, preventing the relative from gaining access.
Soon after, screams were heard and in retaliation, the relative forcefully gained entry into the house through a window and found the two women covered in blood.
The suspect had already made his way out of the house and escaped. The girlfriend was stabbed to her chest, neck, arms, and back while her mother was stabbed once to the shoulder.
Meanwhile, on Saturday the family released a recording to this publication purporting to be that of the suspect telling the injured woman’s mother that her daughter has to die and he will hunt her down “like Police hunt thief”.
“I gon tell you this morning, yah daughter got to dead. She is wicked and she is not a girl of she word. If you is not a girl of your word, you have to be a girl of the dirt. Me and you [the girl’s mother] reason, I tell you that let we go to this pastor and you say yes we gonna go but you never follow me.”
“I show she that the state I deh in, she is the only person that I thinking about that getting me holding a focus right now and now she gon bail? When I need she the most she gon bail?
Anytime she did come humble everything wudda good…I tell she don’t mek I got to hate she because if I hate she meh go hurt she, and she make me hate she,” according to the recording,” the alleged suspect was heard saying in the recording.
Further, the recording revealed “Me go tell you, anytime she survive this…hear what I will promise you, none ah ayo dese cyan’t find me. I is not no easy soldier. I know soldering…I promise you when you feel all is well, watch me. You’ll hear she in pain because the next time y’all would not be lucky”.
“Is the love and respect me have for you [the injured woman’s mother] mek me in do you nothing…I will hunt she like Police hunt thief, you will see, let she run, let she only recover. She going to de dirt, so start to save her burial money. I promise you,” the man was heard saying.
According to April, those voice messages came to her just after the man sent a message to her daughter pleading for her forgiveness.
“He’s claiming that he is sorry and he needs help. I need him to turn himself into the Police and the help will start there. He sent all those messages from his phone. I want him to know that the evil you do lives after you. He needs to ask for repentance earliest,” she said.
The family said it was only last month that they realised that Cadogan had an issue that kept getting worse, hence the daughter was planning to leave him.
So far, all the threatening messages were sent to the Police and the family said they are hoping that the man is arrested soon.
