100 MURDERS IN 67 DAYS – Highway killing brings up grim milestone

AND JOEY BARTLETT

RICHARD "Mansion'"Mark became the country’s 100th murder victim for the year when he was killed on the morning of March 7.

Mark, who escaped an attempt on his life on the night of March 6, was killed just hours later on March 7 when gunmen pulled alongside his car on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway and unleashed a hail of bullets.

Between January 1 and March 7 2023, Trinidad and Tobago recorded 112 murders. The final murder toll that year was 576.

In 2022, despite the comparative January 1 to March 7 murder toll standing at 101 murders, the year ended with a record-breaking 605 murders.

By Newsday’s count, there have so far been 13 murders in the first seven days of March, seven of them occurring between March 1 and 3.

Newsday tried to contact Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher and TTPS communication manager Joanne Archie for comment but calls to their phones went unanswered.

On the night of March 6, Richard ‘Mansion’ Mark, 32, of Petit Valley was in the Trincity area when gunmen opened fire on the car he was driving.

Mark was able to escape without any injuries and fled to a nearby area where he hid from his attackers.

He contacted someone from Petit Valley and asked them to pick him up at the location where he was hiding.

Two people in a Nissan Wingroad picked up Mark and the trio left the area and drove west along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway.

A dark-coloured vehicle pulled alongside theirs near the Curepe Interchange and the occupants of the car began shooting at the trio.

The driver of the bullet-riddled car sped away before stopping on the shoulder near the Bamboo Settlement walkover.

The driver and the front-seat passenger then exited the car and ran off as the suspects drove past them and turned south onto the Uriah Butler Highway.

Both men then ran across the highway to a police car parked near the Cipriani College of Labour & Co-operative Studies and told the officers what had happened.

Officers went with the men to the scene where they found the car with its back-seat passenger side riddled with bullet holes.

Mark was slumped over in the back seat with multiple gunshot injuries.

A district medical officer visited the scene and declared Mark dead before ordering his body to be removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James for further examination.

Police told Newsday Mark was known to them and said his death was likely to be drug and gang-related.

Investigations are continuing into the incident.

Shortly before that, 50-year-old Marvin "Guessman" Monticeux was stabbed to death while streaming live on TikTok at his Tunapuna home.

Around 1 am Monticeux was at his home at St Augustine Circular with a fellow TikToker when a man entered the room. Monticeux and the man started arguing before a commotion was heard.

Moments later, Monticeux was seen covered in blood.

He said he had been stabbed and then collapsed. The police and ambulance were called but Monticeux died at the scene.

Hours before on March 6, 54-year-old father and grandfather of four Vince Decle was shot and killed at his home. His family told Newsday they were confused and still in shock over his shooting death.

Decle, a foreman at the Unemployment Relief Programme for over ten years, was shot outside his home at River Estate Diego Martin and taken to the St James Medical Complex.

Decle’s daughter, Pachilli Douglas, spoke at the Forensic Science Centre in St James. She said her father was at home boiling beetroot to eat before the shooting occurred, saying he was diabetic and the vegetable was his favourite.

Douglas believes someone called him to the front of the house, saying it appeared he was standing at the left rear of his vehicle when he was shot.

“It looked like he picked up one shot and was holding his wound, because his hands had blood; he may have locked the gate, then ran around the car and tried to get into the car, but collapsed.”

She said a neighbour on her way home saw Decle lying motionless on the ground and flagged down a passing car. The driver, along with other people, then went back to where her father lay, and they called the police.

Douglas said officers from the Four Roads police station took her father to the St James Hospital. She said her children’s taxi driver called her, offering condolences.

“I did not know what she was talking about. She said to me, they just shoot and kill my father. I was so confused. I went to the hospital, but he was already dead.” Douglas did not know if her father died at the hospital.

She described him as a good, kind-hearted, talkative person.

“If my head hurts, I know I can depend on him for a tablet; he would do anything for his grandchildren.

“Only my eldest son, who is 14, knows what happened. The others don’t know their grandfather is dead.”

Decle’s widow Valerie said she and Decle were married for 15 years and together for 29, saying she will remember him as a fun-loving person who enjoyed life.

“He loved carrying his grandchildren to the beach, he loved to dance. He just loved family time. He was a jolly, loving person. Sometimes he would just take the broom, use it like a mic and start singing.”

Valerie said her husband did not have any enemies.

“Everyone loved him, he was a jovial person. As far as I know, he did not owe anyone, he did not have any beef with anyone. He was a hardworking grandfather who loved having a good time.”

She said she was at work when her sister-in-law called to let her know what had happened, then left and headed to the St James Hospital, where she was told he was already dead. She is also unsure if he died at the hospital or at the scene.

“The crime situation is ridiculous.”

The grieving woman said this is not her family’s first loss to gun violence: 12 years earlier, her first son was shot and killed.

“I had four kids: two boys and two girls. My first-born was shot and killed after his brother died due to complications related to diabetes.” She said she is leaning on God for strength.

Police visited and processed the scene, collecting several spent shells.