Mother absent at son’s funeral

WHILE scores of mourners gathered at the Penal home of murder victim Stephon Frontin, 22, for his funeral yesterday, his mother Arlene made good on her promises and stayed away.

Frontin told Newsday on Wednesday that she did not want to see her son lying in a coffin, as it would have been too much for her to bear.

At the service, relatives said Frontin was “very ill” and not in attendance. Yesterday, Frontin marked her 4lst birthday in pain. On Sunday, her son was shot dead at a bar shortly after he visited her at San Fernando General Hospital where she was being treated for renal failure.

At the funeral, a relative pleaded with mourners to be careful of what they post on social media as Frontin’s mother would check social media posts and could be affected by what is said about her son and his murder. “Believe you me, we do not want another funeral in the family,” the relative said, alluding to Frontin’s frail health.

Stephon’s uncle Mark Nichols called on the people to look after each other. “There are many churches in this area. I would like to see people attend church and do good for society,” he said. Many mourners wore T-shirts printed with Stephon’s photo.

Pastor Mahal of the Seventh Day Adventist Church officiated at the funeral and told mourners too many people are being killed in TT. “With over 500 murders to date, we have to be very careful. People are killing each other for no reason,” Mahal said. Stephon was later buried at the Penal Rock Road cemetery.