FORTY–EIGHT–YEAR-OLD Rick ‘Heads’ Persaud of Crown Dam, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara yesterday committed suicide by jumping off the verandah of his home to land approximately 15 feet to the ground.

The man’s relatives told this publication that a crime scene investigator told them not to speak with the media after the police have departed, but one family member who requested anonymity disclosed that, at

approximately 16:00hrs, she heard someone screaming, and when she looked out, she saw the man lying on the ground in a bloodied state.

“When I saw the man, I thought he was still alive, but when I went closer, I saw he was not breathing. His other family then come and see him dead; they could not believe what they saw,” the family member said.

A neighbour said she was having a light snack with her children on her verandah when she saw the man walking around his yard, before he went upstairs and jump off the verandah.

“I thought I was seeing a movie. I left cold cold. The man is a mad man, he does smoke and drink nuff. At one time he did cut his own belly, and (he does) normally throw down himself. He don’t have no kids, no wife; so I don’t know why he did this. I feel is because he must have smoke up and he did not know what he was doing,” the neighbour ventured.

(By Asif Hakim)