The Star (Jamaica)

Pastor found chopped to death in house

- HOPETON BUCKNOR STAR Writer ROMARDO LYONS STAR Writer

Apastor was discovered dead in at his house in Top Hill, St Elizabeth, by a church member who went to check on him after he failed to show for the start of service on Sunday.

Patrick Brown, 40, otherwise called Pastor, was last seen alive in the community last Wednesday afternoon. Residents told THE STAR that they realised that the pastor’s Toyota Axio motor car was not parked at its regular spot in his yard.

Although he lived in Top Hill, Brown pastored the Pipers Corner New Testament Church in Westmorela­nd.

“I last saw him on Wednesday afternoon after he left the shop and said he was going to his house, which is in walking distance. I was kinda

In December 2019, many residents said to be squatting in Fort Charles, Port Royal, received an eviction notice from the Urban Developmen­t Commission (UDC) and were promised to be removed by January 2020 if they failed to do so. But because of COVID-19, they still have roofs over their heads, shock when I did not see him the following day like we normally would, and still did not see him the entire weekend, neither did we see his car,” one resident said.

CELL PHONE WENT UNANSWERED

Members of his church were reportedly calling his cell phone all weekend but it went unanswered. Contact was reportedly made with a church sister who lives in Junction. She was asked to go and check on Brown, and when she did she made the gruesome discovery.

THE STAR understand­s that the church sister noticed flies coming from a window and smelled a foul odour coming from the house. She then raised an alarm, and the police were summoned. Upon reaching the house, the police forced their way inside the house and discovered Brown’s body, which was in a state of decomposit­ion, with what appeared to be multiple chop wounds. The lawmen processed the scene upon arrival, and later removed the body to the morgue for post-mortem.

Residents in the community remembered Brown as a loving, kind, jovial and humble person, who was not very talkative. A church member said that Brown hails from Cave Valley in St Ann, and moved to Top Hill in 2018, where he was pastor for the Exton New Testament Church in Junction.

“Him was a good preacher, and him preach all over the place even St Mary and Morant Bay, but only God know why dem kill him, and the entire church feel it fi know seh dem chop him up, and thief him little car,” the church member lamented. where mi born and grow,” he said. “I don’t have anywhere else to go and I don’t plan to. I have been here all my life, so where must I go? I don’t have anything else, nowhere else!

“Dem ah play judge, jury, and killer fi ah decide at dis stage in people life dat people must just up and move.”

Ondre Kelly has been in Fort Charles for more than 30 years. He lived there with his mother as a youngster, but has since raised his own family there since her passing.

“Nobody don’t come to us about nothing at all,” he said. “And I never expect anybody to come. I wouldn’t have anywhere to go, so I would just be homeless,” the 40-year-old man said.

Kelly says if the UDC’s plans to facilitate sustainabl­e developmen­t to the ‘historic’ Port Royal are still in effect, he doesn’t know what that would mean for him and his family.

“Dem cyaa just really come do nothing like this,” he said. “That is very out of order. I was nervous when the notice came. Anybody woulda nervous.”

 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? The body of the Reverend Patrick Brown was found at his home in Top Hill, Junction, St Elizabeth, on Sunday.
CONTRIBUTE­D The body of the Reverend Patrick Brown was found at his home in Top Hill, Junction, St Elizabeth, on Sunday.

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