Slain Piarco man's family warned him about environment

The family of Mikhail Cox says his free-spirited personality, combined with the environment he lived in, made him disregard help from them, which led to his gruesome death.

Cox, 32, of Oropune Gardens, Piarco, was gunned down on July 14.

Police said around 8.38 pm, they found Cox dead at the corner of Charlotte Street and South Quay, Port of Spain. Another victim was taken to hospital.

Police said the murder was gang-related.

Speaking at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Wednesday, his family described him as loving, brutally honest, extroverted and a family man.One male relative, who did not want to be named, said though Cox had a comfortable home in Oropune Gardens, he gravitated toward Port of Spain and environs.

“He told me he felt very loved and at home there.” He said Cox’s mother was very frustrated by this decision – as she is a retired police officer with 30 years of service and a “proud woman.”

“His mother took pride in knowing her children would do great things and Cox being in that environment frustrated her.” He said though Cox lived in the Port of Spain area, he was not a criminal. “He gravitated toward that type of company for some reason.

“It’s a very nurturing space to be in – gang-oriented, club-oriented brotherhood, fraternity environment. It’s very, very welcoming and he took great comfort and pride being involved.”

He said the way Cox dressed even took on the environment – distressed three-quarter jeans under his waist and plaited hair.

Despite this, the relative said Cox never changed his personality as he was still loving and willing to provide opportunities for his two daughters, nine and three.

He said the day before Cox’s death, he begged him to come out of the environment. He said he had helped Cox print resumes and would constantly send him job opportunities. “He just wanted to exist; he wanted to live his life and enjoy it.”

His family said when they got his car after his death, they found several of the resumes still there. The relative said how Cox was enjoying his life was worrying to the family because of societal norms – going to school and getting a job.

“He didn’t subscribe to that; he didn’t feel the need to wear a suit and tie. “But nothing he was doing was criminal. Because of the company he kept, from time to time he’d land himself in problems with the law.

He said he warned Cox, “If you play stupid games, you’ll win stupid prizes.

“And (death) was his prize.”

The family were upset with social media pages for posting a screen grab involving Cox in a 2022 Trinibad video. The relatives said, “That genre of music is stupid. He was just in the background, a prop.

“He had all the features like them; he started to look like the environment he was in – hair plaited, hard facial features and big and strong.” He said the social media pages are based on drama and entertainment, with commenters having aimless thoughts with no proof.

“He fit the profile and it didn’t help that he fit himself into it.

“He didn’t need to do that; he felt the need to do that.”