[UPDATED] Mother of beheaded toddler says suspect was never violent

The mother of four-year-old Amarah Lallitte said she is shocked over her daughter’s death, as the suspect was never violent.

Police reports say the mother and a male relative were involved in an altercation at their home on Fifth Street, Arouca in the night on April 8.

She escaped and went to the nearby Arouca Police Station to report the incident.

She returned home escorted by police and discovered her daughter’s lifeless body in the house. The child had been beheaded. Police found her head in a barrel in the house.

The suspect was still at the scene and was detained by police.

Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, Amarah's mother recalled making the difficult decision to leave her daughter at home with the suspect while she went to get help.

She said Lallitte was on the bed watching her tablet when the suspect attacked her and tried to drag her into a room.

“She thought we were playing, so she was laughing. When I called her to come, she was not coming, she just stayed on the bed. So I had no choice.

“I had to try and get away from his grip and go to the station with the anticipation that the police would have reached there in time to save her.”

By the time she returned, it was too late.

She said in the four years she has known the suspect, she never noticed any violent tendencies. She said he also never displayed any signs of suffering from a mental illness.

“He never showed any indication of being, I don't want to say schizo, but that's how he was acting. Like if he was a different person and different personalities (were) talking to me. I never experienced that with him. He never showed me that type of tendency.”

She was referring to schizophrenia, a brain disorder which can cause delusions, hallucinations and disorganised speech.

“He was never an angry person or a violent person, so when I discovered that he killed her, I was shocked.”

She said the suspect was always protective of Amarah.

“I didn't think he would have done her that. He never showed any kind of violence towards Amarah. He would have killed for Amarah. He was so protective of her. So this is a shocking blow for me.”

Lallitte’s mother described her as a loving child and the “light of the room.

“Everybody loved this child. I can say nothing bad about her. I don't know what would make him want to harm that child so much. She was a darling. She was everybody’s darling.”

Speaking on Ian Alleyne's Crime Watch programme in the night on April 9, Lallitte's father Shannon Lallitte said he had not seen his daughter in more than three years.

He said this was a result of an ongoing dispute with the child's mother.

"The police told me don't come back here until allyuh settle that (dispute)... I was denied access to the child almost four years."

Meanwhile, the Trinidad and Tobago Council of Evangelical Churches condemned the murder and expressed “profound shame and horror at the barbarity inflicted upon this innocent child.”

It said, in a media release, that the death of Lallitte, along with Crystal Harricharan, who was shot repeatedly as she sat in her vehicle in Vistabella in the morning on April 9, has deeply shaken Trinidad and Tobago.

The council called on church leaders to visit the communities affected by the murders and offer support in the area of counselling, prayer, or any other areas where assistance is needed.

Gender and Child Affairs Minister Ayanna Webster-Roy also addressed Lallitte's murder as she urged parents, guardians, caretakers, and families in distressing situations to seek help when faced with overwhelming challenges or emotions.

In a media release on April 9, Webster-Roy offered condolences to everyone affected by Lallitte’s death.

She said, “The tragic death of little Amarah is not only a grievous loss to her family but has immersed our entire nation in anguish.”

Webster-Roy said to maintain peace and prosperity in Trinidad and Tobago, all forms of abuse must be eradicated.

“There is no excuse for mistreating anyone in an intimate relationship, whether they are a man or a woman. As responsible adults, we can never justify the abuse of children, nor should they ever be used as pawns in family conflicts.”

She said affected people should seek professional help to prevent situations from “escalating into unwanted and tragic circumstances.”

She called on the public to honour Amarah's memory by taking action to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

Agencies that can offer help to people in similar situations are:

National Family Services Division 623-2608 (ext. 6701-6711)
TT Police Service 999
Children's Authority Hotline 996 or 800-2014
Childline 131 or 800-4321
National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-SAVE (7283)

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

THE mother of four-year-old Amarah Lallitte said she is shocked over her daughter’s death as the suspect was never violent.

Police reports say the mother and her boyfriend were involved in an altercation at their home on Fifth Street, Arouca in the night on April 8.

She escaped and went to the nearby Arouca Police Station to report the incident.

She returned home escorted by officers and discovered her daughter’s lifeless body in the house. The child was beheaded. Police found her head in a barrel in the house.

The suspect was still at the scene and was detained by police.

Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, Amara's mother said in the four years she and the suspect were in a relationship he never showed any type of violent tendencies.

“He was never an angry person or a violent person so when I discovered that he killed her, I was shocked.”

She said although Amara was not the suspect’s daughter, he treated her as his own child.

“I didn't think he would have do her that. He never shown her any kind of violence towards Amara. He would have killed for Amara. He was so protective of her. So this is a shocking blow for me.”