[UPDATED] Penal woman killed, man held

Reshma Kanchan, 25, did not have an escape route or a chance of survival on Tuesday when an estranged male relative ambushed and chopped her on her way to work in Penal.

A fatal blow with a cutlass almost severed the head of the mother of two.

The suspect, who blocked her path using his car, returned to the driver’s seat and drove a few feet before crashing into an iron bin. Nearby residents found him with apparent self-inflicted injuries to his neck, smoking a cigarette.

The Siparia electrician was hospitalised under police guard up to Tuesday evening.

Kanchan lived at Laltoo Trace in Penal, with her two daughters, five and two, her 50-year-old mother, Davica Kanchan, and other relatives.

She was a part-time URP worker at a primary school.

Shortly before 9 am, she was walking to get a taxi when the man viciously attacked her.

They separated five months ago. Relatives said she had been a domestic violence victim since she married five years ago.

In June, Kanchan took to Facebook to "just to clear things up" about when a woman leaves a long-term relationship. In a lengthy post, she said the man’s first thoughts are to blame the woman and accuse her of finding found someone.

"But what men don’t think about is all the times she went to sleep feeling like crap because of all the times that he disrespected her, or how he kept saying he would change but never did," Kanchan wrote. "Men don’t think about all the times she was there when no one else was. When she stops venting to you when she stops getting on you, when she stops trying to get you to see things her way, just know it’s not because you won."

Instead, it means the woman is done with putting up with everything. It is because she is preparing her escape from the man’s toxic ways, Kanchan said.

"So no, she did not leave you to find someone else. She left so she can find herself," the post said.

"Appreciate your woman while you have her fellas...before it is too late. Ladies, know, and realise your worth, love yourself!! (sic)"

Despite the constant abuse, relatives said Kanchan never took out a restraining order against the man, saying she did not want to stop him from seeing his child.

Kanchan’s mother was inconsolable on Tuesday. Between sobs, the grandmother of five accused the suspect of not only threatening to kill Kanchan but her too.

Davica said last year she took out a restraining order to prevent him from entering her property. She further accused him of frequently showing up at the house and cursing the family.

"He was here on Sunday, and two weeks ago. Police came and just warned him.

"Last year, he beat Reshma in front of my temple area here. He hit me as well. He got away with it too. Reshma did not want to press charges. She did not go to the hospital either," Davica said.

"Long before she got pregnant, I warned her to stay away from him.

"She tried everything to make the relationship work. In the past, he threatened to shoot and chop me, then set the house on fire. The police came and warned him."

Davica, the single mother of three, accused police of failing her for not arresting and charging the suspect for alleged previous assaults and threats.

"There is no justice in this world. I fight to keep my children going.

"To whoever is listening, fight for your children. Do whatever you could to protect them from abusive relationships. I am begging allyuh," Davica said.

"The Lord alone knows what I went through to protect my children.

"Once, he beat her so badly that she could not eat food. But she survived it."

Davica said she often prayed that one day that he would leave the family alone.

"He kept coming back, sometimes blocking the path so no vehicles could leave the yard. Anybody she talked to, he accused her of having relations with them."

She described her daughter as "a lovely person. She used to make people laugh and have a good time.

"What am I going to tell the children when they ask for their mother?"

The five-year-old, whom Kanchan had from a previous relationship, was born with a hole in her heart.

The grandmother said, "The children are not a burden for me, but they are growing up without parents."

Police from the South Western Division denied the allegations of police negligence, saying officers treat all cases seriously.

South Western and Homicide Bureau Region III police are investigating.

A release from Adriana Sandrine Rattan, president of the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN), appealed to men to help men to unlearn toxic behaviour. This, she said, would ultimately help in managing their emotions and, more particularly, rejection.

IWRN said it has become a common trend over the years for men to try to or to take their own lives after murdering their spouses. The release said such a trend points to a major societal problem involving learned behaviour that breeds toxicity and narcissism over prolonged periods.

"The narrative for domestic violence must change from being reactive to proactive as issues which ignite domestic violence would always be present in families," the release said. "However, as a country, we have a moral responsibility as a state and civil society to collectively develop effective and sustainable strategies."

The release said this process must begin by not objectifying women, which is one of the major stumbling blocks that have been impeding men's mindset for years.

Get help here:

Domestic violence victims, male and female, are asked to report all incidents to the IWRN’s hotline at 795-9531.

People can also report it to the police Gender-Based Violence Unit or the Domestic Violence hotline at 800-SAVE.

Recent domestic abuse murders

On September 2, Sherian Huggins, 29, a self-employed mother of four, was chopped to death by her estranged husband at her home in Dan Kelly, Port of Spain. He was later found after taking his own life at Woodford Square.

Four days later, on September 6, police found the decomposing body of Venezuelan Joanna Sanchez, 33, in a cesspit at the Preysal home of an estranged boyfriend. The man was later charged with murder and the case is pending.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Police are at the scene at Laltoo Trace in Penal, where a man chopped and killed a woman during a domestic dispute on Tuesday.

The victim was named as Reshma Kanchan.

Police detained the man at the scene.

South Western and Homicide Bureau Region III police are investigating.