Widow thanks murdered husband for entering her life

IN an emotional speech to scores of mourners who attended the funeral yesterday for her murdered husband, Christalene Cooper said his spirit is very much alive.

“This is not a goodbye, this is a thank you. Thank you for coming into my life and giving me joy, thank you for loving me, thank you for all the memories. I will cherish them forever,” Cooper said at Faith Centre in San Fernando.

Her husband Daniel Cooper, 29, of Vistabella, went missing last week Monday. Two days later, police found his decomposing body in bush at Borde Narve, on the outskirts of Princes Town. He had been shot in the head.

Daniel had left his job at Esau Oilfield in Gulf View at about 4.30pm on Monday to pick up his three-year-old daughter from daycare in Palmiste. However, he never arrived.

Yesterday, the grieving widow referred to him as a dedicated husband and father who touched the lives of many.

“Daniel was my rock. He was completely dedicated to his daughter. He kept his faith. We burnt his body today, but not his spirit,” she said.

His sister Elizabeth delivered the eulogy, saying he was the second of six children and never got into trouble. She described him as a family man who served as an usher at Faith Centre, and asked why would someone kill her brother.

“He was a loving, kind-hearted person. Why would someone do such a cruel, inhumane thing to him? It is unbelievable. We would never know why but he is with the Lord,” she said as she called on mourners to cherish memories of him.

The body, which was in a closed coffin, was taken to the Shore of Peace (Mosquito Creek) in La Romaine for cremation.

So far, police have detained four men in connection with the murder. PCs Sujeet Ramcharan, Marcus Brown, and PC Crystal Simmons arrested the first suspect in Princes Town last week Tuesday, intercepting the 33-year-old in a car at a gas station.

The following day the suspect took police to the decomposing body. Police later arrested three more men, all of whom remained in police custody up to late yesterday. Police from Homicide Bureau Region III are investigating.