Relatives of 23-year-old Kevin Francis believe he was murdered over a bottle of champagne he was accused of stealing from someone’s house on Christmas Day. Francis’s body was discovered face down at Maharaj Trace, South Oropouche, around 2 am, yesterday, by passersby. Police believe Francis, the father of a four-year-old child, was attacked when he left a house party at Partap Trace to urinate.
In an interview at their Duke Street, South Oropouche home, yesterday, Naomi Francis said her brother left home around midnight to attend the party by “Crabbie.” Sometime later she said someone called and told them Francis was lying on the road. Their cousin Peter Edwards, who is visiting from London, went down to the scene and saw Francis’s body.
Edwards said Francis, a construction worker, was lying face down with a hole to the back of his head. There was also a gunshot wound to his arm. “He had no pulse and his body was cold.” Edwards said there was a “whole heap” of people gathered but no one would say what happened to his cousin.
“People feeling intimidated. There is a gang in the area there and people keeping their mouth shut. But is a small village; someone will come out and talk. Everyone there was intoxicated and somebody get trigger happy.” Edwards, who arrived in the country six weeks ago, recalled that Francis came home intoxicated on Christmas Day with a bottle of champagne. “People saying Kevin steal the champagne. I believe that is what really trigger this whole thing.”
Edwards said Francis was supposed to visit his mother in London in March which would have been the first time he would have seen her since she migrated 11 years ago. Edwards said he was also putting things in place to open a car wash for Francis. He said his cousin was “very mouthy,” but was not a gang member or gunman. ASP Rodriguez, Insp Anderson Pariman and Insp Peter Ramdeen from the South Western division visited the scene.