[UPDATED] Grandmother of slain 19-year-old UWI student: Only God can help us

RELATIVES of 19-year-old UWI student Samantha Celine Chadee described her as intelligent, kind, independent and loving.

Chadee’s grandmother Marceline Badal, who raised her and with whom she lived, spoke with Newsday at their Portugal Avenue home in Arima on July 20.

She said since hearing of her granddaughter's murder, she has taken solace in God and the knowledge that Chadee knew and accepted Christ.

On July 19, Chadee was shot and killed in Marcano Quarry, Laventille, along with Walter John, 36, a labourer from Carenage. The pair were leaving John’s brother's home around 6.15 pm when they were ambushed and shot several times with high-powered rifles.

Chadee was in the front passenger seat of John's grey Hyundai Accent. Despite John's attempt to escape, he crashed a short distance away into a drain.

Badal said Chadee was set to finish her bachelor’s degree in agriculture in 2025.

“She was really intelligent and loved nature and animals. Her teachers from North Eastern Secondary School called me this morning to express their shock and send condolences.”

She urged parents to cover their children in prayer and emphasised that young people need to turn to God, believing that a lack of discipline in homes and schools is contributing to the spiralling crime rate.

“We have spared the rod, and now the child is spoiled. We need to study the book of Revelation and understand the times we are living in,” Badal said.

She said she will always remember Chadee as a loving, well-mannered young woman who was not only raised in faith, but she knew without any doubt that she loved Christ, and it is because of Chadee's love for God and the good things God has done for her family that she is not questioning Him.

“On Tuesday, July 15, she stood here and read Psalm 6: ‘Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish.’”

Badal, who was leading a small prayer circle when Newsday arrived, said most Saturdays, people gather at her home for worship, and the gathering was not unusual.

“It’s a different type of prayer today, but most Saturdays, there are prayers here, and she is normally here with us. Had she been here today, she would have already offered you something to drink or eat.

"How do I begin to describe a child I raised from a baby, who has slept in the same bed with me since she was 15 years old? My faith in God is what has me standing here right now.”

While Badal knew most of Chadee’s friends, she did not know John. She said she never tried to hold Chadee back and allowed her to experience life.

“We were all young at one time and wanted to go and take a little lime. She was a good child. I never had to worry about her getting in trouble. I never tried tying her down.”

On July 17, Chadee woke up wanting to go to Balandra beach, so she and some friends went.

“It was raining, and I asked her if she was sure she wanted to go in all that rain, but she wanted a sea bath. When they reached the beach, she said the sun came out, and it was beautiful and sunny.

Badal said Chadee's 15-year-old brother is taking the news the hardest, as the pain is really close.

Asked for her comments to Chadee’s killer(s), Badal said she would tell them, “Turn to God!”

She stressed that parents need to “bruise their knees and get back to God,” believing it is the only way to reduce crime.

“As a country, we have been making deals with the devil for too long and now he has come to collect on his deals. It doesn’t matter who it is, no one is safe. Only God can help us.”

Badal said her justice will come from God, and she is coping by leaning on and trusting in God. She said memories will also help her cope.

A male relative of Chadee’s, visiting from the US, who also accompanied Chadee to Balandra beach on July 17, described her as brilliant, kind, full of life and loving.

He called her murder sad and heartbreaking and he questioned the state of crime in Trinidad.

He lamented the murder of TT RideShare driver Shakeem Charles, whose decomposing body was discovered in a bushy area off Sunrees Road, Penal, on July 13.

Police believe his death may have been linked to a robbery, and an autopsy earlier this week showed he died from multiple gunshot wounds.

This story was originally published with the title "UWI student among two shot dead in Laventille ambush" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

A 19-year-old UWI student is among two people who were shot and killed on July 19 while leaving a relative's home in Marcano Quarry, Laventille.

Police reports said around 6.15 pm, Walter John, a labourer of Carenage, was leaving his brother’s home with Samantha Celine Chadee, of Tumpuna Road, Arima, sitting in the front passenger seat.

Chadee, a student at UWI, and John were in John's grey Hyundai Accent car when the two were ambushed and shot several times with high-powered rifles.

John drove off but crashed a short distance away into a drain. Residents called the police, and patrolling officers responded.

Officers said the victims were shot multiple times.

Dr Ojar, the district medical officer, visited the scene and pronounced both dead. Crime scene officers processed the area and found 24 spent 5.56 shell casings and one live round of 5.7mm ammunition.

Officers from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region One, are investigating.