Pastor at murdered Diego Martin woman's funeral: Criminals caused me grief too

The pastor officiating the funeral of a murdered Diego Martin grandmother said he sympathised with the plight of her relatives as he explained that he also lost a loved one to criminals.

Pastor Clifton Dupigny of the Church of the Nazarene, St James, during his homily for Marva Sutherland, offered condolences to mourners and encouraged them to find comfort in the fact that God would judge her killer.

Sutherland, 58, died from a wound to her head at her home at Andrew Drive, Blue Basin, Diego Martin, on May 12.

A man was arrested for Sutherland's murder shortly after her body was found.

She was the fourth woman to be killed in four consecutive days.

In his homily, Dupigny said while it was natural for humans to want vengeance against those who wronged them or their family, God's judgment was final to everyone and urged them to seek strength in their faith.

Dupigny's brother, Brandon Dupigny, a maxi-taxi driver, was shot and killed by bandits during a robbery at St John's Road, Tunapuna, in 2017.

He said while he was offered a chance to avenge his brother, he declined and implored mourners to leave vengeance to God.

"I met one of his (Brandon's) friends a few weeks after that. He said, 'Brandon was a good man, let we go for the person who killed him,' and he raised up his jacket to show me a gun.

"I told him. 'No. We are not of that ilk. Vengeance is mine, said the Lord, I want no vengeance, I'm not looking for anybody.' He died. I have to learn to live with the pain, I have to accept it. But vengeance is God and the man who killed him will pay.

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, because when God enacts vengeance on you, you want to crawl in a hole."

Dupigny added that he believed crime and violence were becoming more prevalent as society no longer respected God. He said societal ills could be traced back to a lack of respect for certain principles and the failure of citizens to show each other respect.

"Because we don't have the fear of God and we don't love God, we don't know how to love each other.

That's why we treat one another the way we treat one another.

"We will continue to suffer, we will continue to inflict pain on each other until we learn to love God, otherwise we will continue to be in trouble."

Dupigny said he knew Sutherland and said despite the difficulties she faced, she persevered.

He said he was pleased that Sutherland's eldest son, Andell Sutherland, was helpful and productive.

In her eulogy, Sutherland's sister Gailann Sutherland described her sister as a loving, active person who shared positivity with everyone she met.

Sutherland was buried at the Western Cemetery, Port of Spain.