Father: No justice, a year after Jesse’s murder

A COUVA man whose teenage son was found murdered behind his school on March 22 last year, is accusing the police of ignoring leads in the investigation. He believes his son’s death will be another of the unsolved murders for 2017.

Next Tuesday will mark a year since Jesse Beephan, 16, a form four student of the Waterloo High School was found beaten to death in the bush behind the school. Three students from the school were detained but subsequently released. Yesterday, Shakar said not a day goes by that he does not think about his son and he is hoping one day justice will prevail.

Beephan said his son never travelled to school by taxi, but was dropped off and picked up by his mother every day. Beephan said he gave his son $50 a day for lunch and snacks and was not aware that Jesse was using the money to buy marijuana from a fellow student.

“When my son’s body was found it was as though my life also went with Jesse. But I stayed strong for my wife and 14-year-old daughter, who needed the support,” Beephan said. He added that initially, the police gave him updates, but a short while later all calls stopped and he is at a loss as to the status of the investigation.

Shakar also said he checked cell phone and found a lot of information which could be useful to the investigation, but claims police chose to ignore it.

He is accusing three students, one from Preysal, one from Waterloo and one from Chaguanas for being responsible for his son’s death. Beephan said he also received information that one of the three suspects had a cradle arm in his bag which he kept to protect himself from bullies at the school.

Police investigators believe Jesse was beaten to death with a cradle arm, but up until yesterday no one had been detained. “Next Tuesday will be another sad day for me because it will mark the one-year anniversary of my son’s death and I am equally distressed over the fact that no one has been charged.

“I know the police could do a lot more with this investigation, and I know that the parents of the suspects are aware of their children’s involvement in my son’s murder and I am appealing to them to ask the suspects to surrender to the police and confess to the crime,” Beephan said. Homicide officers said yesterday Beephan’s murder had not been placed on the back burner and the investigation is still ongoing.