[UPDATED] Ex-lay minister killed, son wounded by relative at Moruga home

Less than a week after an 82-year-old woman returned to Trinidad from vacationing in the US, she was murdered in her home at Basse Terre Village in Moruga on Wednesday mid-morning.

Sylda Mudie, 82, died in the wooden house at Edward Trace shortly before 10 am.

The mother of two and grandmother of one was a former lay minister at the St Vincent Ferrer RC Church.

The suspect, 80, a close male relative, is believed to have shot and chopped her several times.

A relative at the crime scene said, “She came back on Saturday after spending about three months abroad. On Sunday, she went to church. She loved going to church.

"As a lay minister, she taught thousands of children confirmation and first communion over the years.”

There were five bullet holes in a window near a curtain smeared with blood. There were also six spent shells on the road.

The suspect also shot and chopped Mudie’s son, Derek Mudie, 55.

Derek, who lives in the US, survived the ordeal as he managed to get to the roadway and alert residents.

The suspect fired more shots at Derek while he ran for his life.

A resident took Derek to the Princes Town District Health Facility, where he was treated. He was later transferred to the San Fernando General (SFGH).

Derek, who was expected to return to the US soon, was in stable condition.

Moruga police responded promptly to the report and caught the suspect, a gardener, holding his licensed gun.

The officers pleaded with him to drop the weapon but he refused.

The police later shot him as he move to point the gun at them.

He, too, was taken to the facility in Princes Town, then transferred to SFGH. On Wednesday evening, he was in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Relatives said they did not know what caused the suspect to attack the mother and son brutally. Mudie’s other son, 53, lives in San Fernando, and no one else was in the house.

Relatives said, when they rushed to the crime scene, Mudie was dead in the house, and Derek was already on his way to the hospital.

Neighbours heard the gunshots and screams in the usually quiet community and immediately called the police.

“She was a quiet person. I would not say he (name of suspect called) was a Devil, bad, or anything like that. He was not those things all the time. He gets along differently with different people,” a close relative of Mudie who asked not to be named said.

Residents gathered at the scene and expressed shock over the incident saying the suspect’s action was unexpected.

Asked if the suspect may have suffered from dimentia or similar ailment, residents and relatives said he was of sound mind as far as they were aware.

ASP Persad, Insps Phillip and Rebeiro, Sgts Jones, Toussaint and Williams and other officers from Homicide Bureau Region III and Moruga police visited.

This story was originally published with the title "Catholic lay minister, 82, killed at home, son wounded" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

An elderly woman was murdered by a close male relative at her home at Basse Terre Village in Moruga on Wednesday.

Sylda Mudie, 82, died in the house. She is believed to have been shot and chopped.

A relative said, "She was a lay minister in the Catholic church. She taught thousands of children confirmation and first communication.

"She quiet.

"She went to church on Sunday in Grand Chemin, "

The police who responded to the report shot and wounded the elderly suspect. They caught him with a gun in his hands and he refused to drop it despite the police pleading with him to do so.

The suspect was taken to the Princes Town District Health Facility.

The suspect also shot and wounded Mudie's son Derrek Mudie, who is in his 50s, during the melee. Derek ran off and a resident took him to the Princes Town District Health Facility, where he is being treated.

Moruga and Homicide Bureau Region III police are on the scene.

This story was originally published with the title "Catholic lay minister, 82, killed at home, son wounded" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

An elderly woman was murdered by a close male relative at her home at Basse Terre Village in Moruga on Wednesday.

Sylda Mudie, 82, died in the house. She is believed to have been shot and chopped.

A relative said, "She was a lay minister in the Catholic church. She taught thousands of children confirmation and first communication.

"She quiet.

"She went to church on Sunday in Grand Chemin. "

The police who responded to the report shot and wounded the elderly suspect. They caught him with a gun in his hands and he refused to drop it despite the police pleading with him to do so.

The suspect was taken to the Princes Town District Health Facility.

The suspect also shot and wounded Mudie's son Derrek Mudie, who is in his 50s, during the melee. Derek ran off and a resident took him to the Princes Town District Health Facility, where he is being treated.

Moruga and Homicide Bureau Region III police are on the scene.