JUSTICE Navindra Singh and a mixed jury at the Demerara Assizes, yesterday, heard a story about how a 52-year-old husband is alleged to have murdered his 36-year-old wife in 2010 by stabbing her nine times with a knife.
On that day Donette Ward was at her mother Princess Peters’ residence at Lot 100 Herstelling, East Bank Demerara. Sometime during the morning of April 24, 2010, the accused Jeffrey Ward, Donette’s husband, went there.
In her opening address to the jury, Prosecutrix Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin told them that Donette’s niece Stacey De Cambra was also there.
The prosecutrix added: “She will tell you that the accused Jeffrey went into Donette’s bedroom. Sometime after Stacey heard her aunt screaming. Stacey ran into Donette’s bedroom where she saw Jeffrey sitting on Donette’s thighs. Donette was lying on her back. As he sat on his wife’s thighs Jeffrey was stabbing her with a knife.
He stopped stabbing Donette and went after Stacey with a knife firing stabs at her. Stacey backed away.
Donette got up from the bed and ran out of the front door. Jeffrey ran after Donette. Stacey ran after him and when he exited the front door, she locked that door and the back door as well. She then went into her bedroom and looked through her window and saw Jeffrey running to her mother. Stacey also saw residents running towards her neighbour’s shop which is the building south of her home. She then ran to the shop where she saw her aunt Donette with what appeared to be wounds to her body and a cut to her left hand and her left leg, breast and abdomen. Stacey called her aunt’s name but she did not respond.
Then Ramchand Roopnaraine came with his Canter truck and with the help of other neighbours Donette was placed in the vehicle.
Policewoman Corporal Adduni Inniss accompanied Donette to the Diamond Hospital where she was pronounced dead by a doctor.
A post- mortem examination was performed on Donette’s body two days after on April 26, 2010 by Government Forensic Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh who found that Donette had sustained nine incised wounds. Attorney –at-Law Mr. Huckumchand is defending.
The hearing is continuing.
(By George Barclay)
