Dead Tunapuna man's sister willing to forgive attackers

Nalefa Ramjit, the older sister of Aarif Mohammed, who was killed by three men in Tunapuna on Friday night, said she sympathised with them and was willing to forgive her brother's attackers because of the circumstances.

Police said Mohammed, 43, had an argument with his wife, Mayerkys Gonzales, who is Venezuelan, and at around 10pm went to the home of her relatives at Macoya Extension, where he argued with three of her male relatives.

Mohammed pulled out a cutlass and chopped one of the men, but was beaten and tied up and lost consciousness.

Gonzales brought police to the house and they took Mohammed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, where he was declared dead.

Police arrested the three men, 20, 24 and 49.

Speaking with Newsday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Monday, Ramjit said while she remembered her brother as a quiet, loving man, she did not live with him and his wife and did not know what troubles they were facing at home.

She said based on what she heard from relatives, the three men came to Gonzales' aid when her brother reportedly threatened her and her daughter.

"They tried to save her – and she has a little daughter – where he really threatened her. But my brother was a loving brother. But I don't live with them, so I don't know, and as husband and wife everyone has quarrels.

"Nothing will bring back my brother. So if the police have to release them, they should release them. I just want to make sure this doesn't happen a second time,

"But the relatives really tried to save her (Gonzales) and my niece. They tried to save her and probably when they started to argue he had an arrogant way where he didn't want to hear what the relatives had to say and pulled the cutlass."

Ramjit said she did not want any charges brought against the men, but only wanted to begin making arrangements for Mohammed's funeral.

Newsday also spoke to Gonzales, who said she was married to Mohammed for six years. She admitted they had a falling-out before the argument with her relatives at the house in Macoya.

"Really, he was upset. He tried to hurt me...The people (relatives) tried to distance themselves, but he interefered with them.

"I left the place before all this happened and went to get the police. When I came back I saw what happened."

Gonzales said she did not blame the police for arresting her relatives in relation to Mohammed's death, as the law was the law.

She added, "He was a human being. I can't do anything to turn back time because it already happened."

Gonzales, 44, said while she did have disagreements with Mohammed, he was never abusive to her during their marriage. She said she and Mohammed lived together for two years in Venezuela before they moved to TT.