Man ambushes, murders wife at workplace then takes own life

LAUREL V WILLIAMS AND NARISSA FRASER

CO-WORKERS of Venture Credit Union formed an honour guard for Naiee Singh while singing a popular funeral hymn midday on Monday just hours after she arrived for work.

Singh, 31, never made it inside the building at the corner of Noel Street and the Southern Main Road in Couva. Her estranged husband, Roger Singh, 32, gunned her down in the company’s car park at Noel Street then killed himself at around 8 am.

Co-workers, some in tears, gathered and sang What a Friend We Have in Jesus as undertakers were leaving with her body. She worked as an administrative officer in the loans department.

Only a week ago, she took out a restraining order against her killer.

Eyewitnesses told police that he parked his black Hilux van a short distance away and exited with a brown bag in his hands.

He greeted a group of men nearby saying, "Good morning," as he walked to the car park where he briefly waited for her. It was only when the gunshots rang out, they realised he was concealing the gun.

Police said as she came out of her car, Roger attacked her. He shot her twice, then shot himself in the view of other drivers. Police recovered a revolver next to his body.

Police said they had been married for about ten years but she left the marital home at Balmain, Couva, and went to live with relatives at Esperance Village, San Fernando, several months ago.

She did not have any children.

Christa Prevatt, who described herself as Singh’s best friend, said after many years of being in an unhappy and emotionally abusive marriage the couple separated.

She said Roger was constantly putting Singh down and denigrating her.

Not only did he torment her, but also her relatives. Roger worked as a lecturer at the National Energy Skills Centre.

"When he thought he was not getting to her, he would torment her family members. He would say vile things to her mother. He was badgering her on social media, on the phone. She had to change her phone number and delete social media accounts."

Singh became scared for her life as he began stalking her.

"He was following her around and saying threatening things. She was scared that he was also tormenting people close to her. He was saying mean and hurtful things."

In tears, Prevatt said a restraining order is not enough to deal with estranged relationships.

"We need people who display these signs of mental illnesses to be restrained. They are not good to themselves and even worse to the people who are close to them."

She called on "all the women and men out there" who are hurting because of separation to seek help.

"This is not an endpoint. Life goes on even if someone tries to move away from you."

Singh started exercising but excluded it and other activities from her life because of the torment.

Cpl Deo, PC Sewdath and other police from the Homicide Bureau Region III together with police from the Central Division gathered evidence and interviewed bereaved relatives.

Singh’s relatives declined to speak with the media.

Speaking to media on behalf of the board and management of Venture Credit Union, CEO Ramesh Lutchman described Singh as a hard-working, dedicated and loyal staff member who would be missed tremendously.

"We are traumatised. We offer condolences to the immediate family and all of our staff and the membership at large. We are in support of each other and we are very shocked."

He said after the company was informed of Naiee's restraining order against Roger, security was told not to let him enter the compound. He said it was possible that Roger was aware of that arrangement, so he hid further from the building.

He added that other workers had just got out of their own vehicles and were heading to work when the incident happened.

Lutchman said the credit union's Couva branch will be closed today because of the incident while the San Fernando and Port of Spain branches will be open as usual.

Newsday understands that video footage of the incident showed Singh's husband hiding behind a vehicle near the Metro Hotel, while she and another employee were walking out of the car park. He then jumped out and grabbed Naiee and the other employee fled to the building to alert security. By the time they returned, the couple was already dead.

Singh is the fourth woman to be killed by former partners in separate domestic-related incidents this year.

On January 9, Gabriella Du Barry, 28, was shot and killed at her home at Avocat Village.

Four days earlier on January 6, principal of Baby's Pre-School, Jezelle Philip, 43, was fatally stabbed as she was teaching students at the Port of Spain school. She died minutes later while being treated at the General Hospital.

Earlier that same day, police found the bodies of Polly-Ann Chuniesingh, 31, her brother Damian Chuniesingh, 39, and their uncle Randy Chuniesingh at the family’s home at Get Well Avenue, Pinto Road in Arima. The uncle was visiting from Canada.

An autopsy found that the Chuniesinghs were all strangled.

Three men, the respective estranged partners of Du Barry, Philip and Polly- Ann, have been charged with the murders. The matters are pending in court.