Baby killed during domestic quarrel

RELATIVES of one-year-old Sariah Williams were left reeling Sunday night when she was chopped to death by a close male relative during a family quarrel over the washing of wares.

The baby was visiting her grandmother’s home at Sion Drive, Tarodale, San Fernando, on Sunday with her mother, who was preparing roti for a curry-que.

Sariah’s grandmother, Michelle Williams, said it was not unusual for her to visit the house with her mother, who had many curry-ques and used the home’s kitchen because of its size.

However, things took a turn for the worse on Sunday night, after 8 pm, when Williams tried helping Sariah’s mother wash some wares. Williams told Newsday, “I went to work yesterday (Sunday) but my daughter had a curry-que.

“She has eight children and she’s trying to make money to buy tablets and books for them because she’s a single mother, so she had the curry-que by me.

“When I came home, it had wares in the sink, so I told Nikki (Sariah’s mother) don’t wash it because whole day she was in heat and that could cause stroke, so I told her I’ll wash it.”

An argument then broke out between Williams and a male relative who became enraged by her offer to help Sariah’s mother with the washing of the wares. “He start to cuss that I’m only for my children and everything is my children.

“He asked why I’m letting them make money off of me for, and he’s not getting anything.”

Williams said the man then disappeared for a few minutes and returned to the gallery, where the argument was happening, with a cutlass.

In a fit of rage, she said, he started swinging the cutlass with the intention of chopping her. Instead, the cutlass fatally struck Sariah, who was sitting on her grandmother’s lap.

“He just fly out with that blade, I ain’t even see when he fly out through the room and into the gallery. Is chop, he just start to chop. The baby end up getting one in her head and blood just start to flow,” Williams said.
Sariah was struck once on the head while Williams suffered chops on both hands. Neighbours and other relatives intervened and called the police.

The baby was taken to the Accident and Emergency Department at the San Fernando General Hospital, but was unresponsive when she arrived. Medical staff tried to resuscitate baby Sariah but she was pronounced dead a few minutes later.

Williams said the man had previously warned that a chopping would take place. She said he would often make threats to her and her children.

Williams allegedly had an argument with the man between Friday night and Saturday morning during which he sent over 80 threatening voice notes, some of which the grandmother played for Newsday.

“He have a kind of bad mind, and since in the beginning, he saying, ‘I’ll kill you and kill all dem children and set an example.’

“And so he really do it and kill my grandchild. She was a year and three months…she now start to walk and talk and play. She was one nice child.”

Born on June 3, 2020, Sariah lived not far from her grandmother in Tarodale.

Baby Sariah’s body was taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James for autopsy. The man remains in custody while police continue their investigations.