Mom also had a Rasta boyfriend
ELEVEN –year- old Jada, whose mother, Tricia Welch, was allegedly murdered by her lover, Shawn Sooklall, yesterday told the judge and jury at the Demerara Assizes  that her mother also had a Rasta boyfriend whose motor cycle was at Tricia’s Soufriere Street home.
The school-girl, who had, in her evidence in chief,  testified how her mother had picked up her boy-friend Shawn Sooklall at the Berbice bus park on the evening of July 16, 2006, in a car driven by another boyfriend, whose name she did not know.
Jadia Welch, who was only seven at the time, said that after the taxi had dropped them at their home on Soufriere Street, North Ruimveldt, they had dinner together, after which her mother sent her to bed.
According to her, she was asleep that night when she was awakened by a tumbling noise and someone screaming.  When she opened the bedroom door she saw Uncle Shawn with a 10” flick-knife with apparent blood stains standing not far from her mother who was in a crouching position and appeared to have blood stains on her body.
The girl said that despite what she saw she went back to bed. She was awakened the next morning when she learnt about the death of her mother.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Mr. Mursalene Bacchus, Jada said that after dinner on July 16, 2006, her mother sent her to bed.
During the cross-examination, the girl broke down in tears, resulting in presiding Judge Miss Roxanne George having to adjourn court until the girl regained her composure.
On the resumption, in answer to further cross examination, the girl admitted that on July 16, 2006, there was a motor cycle at her mother’s home. That motor cycle she said belonged to a male person with locks – a Rasta man who was friendly to her mother.
She told defence counsel that the Rasta man used to visit her mother’s home in the absence of Uncle Shawn.
The next witness to testify was Samantha James of North Ruimveldt. She testified that she knew one Tricia Welch well, they were school mates and friends.  She said that she knew Shawn Sooklall; he was Tricia’s boyfriend.
She recalled that she was at Tricia on the day in question, when Tricia called a taxi that took them to the  to the Berbice Bus Park where they  collected Shawn Sooklall.
The witness said that she left Tricia’s home that night between 20:00 and 21:00hrs, leaving Tricia, Shawn and Jada there.
The next morning she visited Tricia’s home where she saw blood on the floor. Witness said that she went to the East La Penitence Police Station, where she gave a statement.