Trinidad: Triple murder in Guapo

(Trinidad Guardian) The man who murdered three people in a house at Guapo on Thursday before setting it ablaze with gasoline may have used a cutlass and a hoe to execute his brutal attack, police said.

Officers continue to find clues to solve the triple murder/arson which rocked the community of Guapo.

Based on evidence found at the crime scene, investigators believe the man came through the open back door and entered the house at Petrotrin Quarters in Guapo, sometime on Thursday night.

His primary target was Seycelles Hannah, a 41year-old mother who was reportedly staying with Ceslyn Farrell, 69, and her son Patrick Farrell, 48, since November last year. Hannah was thrown out by a male relative and all her clothes dropped off at the Dominion City Church at Point Fortin Main Road.

Saddened by her plight, Farrell offered her lodging.

Investigators returned to the scene of the fire yesterday and found droplets of blood in a trail leading about 100 feet away from the house. This could have come from the murder weapon. They also found a wrapper for a machete with a price tag and a bloodcovered hoe. There were spattered bloodstains in the walls of the living room and on the washing machine.

Police believe Hannah was upstairs when she was killed and her body fell through the floor during the fire. Her limbs appeared to have been dismembered. The pensioner and her son could have been killed downstairs.

Police said there were several houses located near the Farrell’s residence and it was baffling that no one heard any screams. It is possible that the murderer siphoned gas from Patrick’s parked car and used it as an accelerant to set the house on fire to destroy evidence.

Investigators said their suspicions can only be confirmed after an autopsy is done on the bodies at the Forensic Science Centre tomorrow.

A 33-year-old suspect remains in police custody.