By NEWSDAY STAFF Saturday, June 23 2012

A WOMAN has been deemed the prime suspect behind the murder of solider Cpl Nigel Sinaswee, whose body was found at Green Acres in Morvant at about 4 pm on Thursday — hours after he was kidnapped while driving with the woman in Central Trinidad.

An autopsy yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre in St James by Pathologist Dr Eastlyn McDonald-Burris confirmed that Sinaswee died of shock and haemorrhage consistent with gunshot wounds — one in the left side of his abdomen and two shots to the head, with one entering and exiting the skull. Death was instantaneous.

Police are calling Sinaswee’s murder a well-planned and executed killing. The prime suspect who was questioned and released while Sinaswee’s whereabouts were still not known after he was kidnapped, is expected to be detained by police this weekend as investigations continue.

At the Centre, relatives of the dead soldier as well as his colleagues gathered to support each other while the autopsy was taking place.

Miguel Francois said that his deceased brother was a very success oriented person with big ambitions. Francois said that based on his information, his brother had recently taken out a million-dollar life insurance policy and named the police’s main suspect as the only beneficiary.

“To me...to all of us, the circumstances of my brother’s death just does not add up. While we don’t know exactly what happened, the way he was held just screams that he was set up. Somebody put him in that place and set him up,” Francois insisted.

“He was always a cool and down to earth person, who was always smiling and liming. He was a happy man and his death has left us in a serious state of shock,” Francois said.

At 10.45 pm on Wednesday, Sinaswee of Roystonia, Couva was driving a black Mazda Familia station wagon in the company of a 44-year-old woman who is a self-employed contractor.

The two were in the car which was proceeding north along Connector Road, Pierre Road in Felicity.

The woman asked Sinaswee to stop the vehicle as she needed to relieve herself in the bushes. As the soldier stopped the car at the side of the road, a blue-coloured Nissan B12 car and a black Mazda car stopped to the back and front of Sinaswee’s car.

Three men alighted and bundled Sinaswee into the B12 car. At about 11.30 pm on Wednesday, residents of Green Acres, Pelican Extension, Morvant, heard several loud explosions in the area. At 4 pm on Thursday, a male resident was walking along a track at Green Acres when he saw Sinaswee’s body. He is the second solider to be murdered this year.

On February 16, Sgt Joseph Woodley, 44, of Powell Park, Five Rivers in Arouca was shot dead along Basilon Street, East Dry River. Woodley, who had 21 years service was assigned to the Second Infantry Battalion at the heliport in Chaguaramas.