By LaWanda McAllister
After witnessing her mother being stabbed to death by their neighbours, a six-year-old girl was heard screaming and begging for someone to help the woman who had collapsed within minutes of being stabbed at the scene.
Twenty-two-year-old Vanessa Anderson of 38 B Field Sophia Dam, Greater Georgetown, a mother of three, was stabbed to death on Monday following a series of arguments with her neighbours over the last week.
The two women, aged 20 and 29 years old, who are said to be sisters, are in Police custody.
At the home of the dead woman on Tuesday, her sister Natasha Anderson related that her sister’s death was premeditated.
She said her sister was not involved in a fight, but rather, the stabbing stemmed from an old grievance.
This publication was informed that the suspects would oftentimes accuse the now dead woman of calling the Police to search their house.
“Last week Friday a man at the back there…his place was broken into so he bring the Police and carry it over so by them boy them [their neighbours]. So, me niece that is six years old tell we that the Police gone over suh [by their neighbours] … we get up and we looked through the window.”
“…when we look through, one of the sisters look through and say why y’all don’t mind y’all business and watch in y’all own slate… since then the rowing and cursing. Yesterday they start back again but we paid them no mind,” she said.
Natasha Anderson said on Monday at around 05:00h, her sister left her 11-month-old baby with her and went to the shop next door, to purchase a drink. She said while sitting on their veranda she saw the suspects exit their yard, and one of them was holding a child.
The two women then walked across the road and stood in front of their yard. She said as she looked at them, they were both whispering to each other but she said she paid them no mind.
“She [one of the suspects] had a knife at the back of her waist… I was far so I couldn’t hear what they were saying. All I see was the security one [the other suspect] collect her nephew and give she sister the knife and my sister walk and was coming in the yard,” she said.
Child witness
The woman said as her sister was crossing their bridge, the suspect with the knife rushed to her sister and stabbed her twice in her back.
The aggrieved sister further stated that after being stabbed, her injured sister began screaming for assistance and later collapsed.
“When she get stabbed, her six-year-old daughter was watching and saw everything. She saw when her mother was stabbed. She started running and screaming [for her] mother. She is crying really badly. She can’t even sleep. The whole night last night she in sleep,” the woman related.
Shortly after being stabbed, Vanessa was picked up and taken to the hospital by her brother. According to Natasha, after committing the act, one of the suspects ran to the Police station with the murder weapon, while the other stood at the scene.
“I snatch she [the suspect at the scene] because the other one run away. I tell she that once we get you, we got to get she sister. When we carry she at the station, we see she sister at the station already. I told the Police that she is the accomplice because she give her the knife.”
She said while at the Police station she was informed that her sister succumbed to her injuries.
“My sister dead and leave three children, a 6-year-old, a three-year-old, and an 11-month-old. It’s five of us and we don’t have a mother or a father. It was only a year ago mother died and now my sister dead and gone.”
“My sister was trying for her children, her daughter toped her entire school with 100 per cent and she just bought everything for them for school already…her 11-month-old would be one next month, the other one birthday is next month too and the 6-year-old birthday is in November. She wouldn’t be here for that,” she said as she wept bitterly.
Disbelief
Natasha said after hearing of her sister’s death she was still in disbelief until she saw her sister’s bloody remains at the hospital.
“When I go in the hospital, my sister done deh in a body bag cover up with her eyes open and was bleeding through her nose. I hold my sister’s hand and I cried. My birthday is coming up and me and my sister was planning to go and buy stuff. My sister had plans all to open her shop…”.
“… we will take care of her children because that is no headache. We want them because that is our memories of our sister… this is very sad to know that you are a poor person and this kind of tragedy come and happen to her.”
Helped suspects
Meanwhile, the father of the dead woman’s children, Sherwin James, said that Vanessa had been living in the squatting area for the past nine years. He said that when the spot next to the dead woman’s house was vacant, it was Vanessa who told the suspects to move there since they had nowhere to go.
“I told Vanessa that the spot that is too close for people to come and live there. I told her let them people go down more that side and live and she told me that all of we is poor people and let we allow she [the suspect] to build and live. It is Vanessa that put them there.”
“Vanessa even helped them with wood to build up their house and they turn around a juck she and kill she. It hurt me inside and I need justice for she.”
The suspects remain in custody as investigations are ongoing. (This story was first published by Guyana Times)
