– were alive when fire started

THE couple whose charred remains were found in their Eccles, East Bank Demerara home earlier this week, reportedly died as a result of smoke inhalation and burns.
This was revealed during a post mortem examination, which was performed by Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh on Friday.
Dr. Singh was also able to determine that 34-year-old Leeroy King and his reputed wife, 35-year-old Cindy Moses, were alive when the fire started.
Investigators are treating the incident as a murder/suicide.

According to neighbours, King arrived at his 1139 Block ‘EE’ Eccles home around 19:15 hours on Tuesday in his motorcar, and Moses was seen opening the gate for him to enter. Shortly thereafter, however, screams were heard coming from inside the house, followed by a loud explosion.

“When I peep out, ah see fire coming out from the top flat of the house, so we rush over and call the fire truck,” one neighbour told the Guyana Chronicle.
The neighbour explained that minutes before the incident occurred, the couple was heard quarrelling.

Both the Police and Fire Service were summoned, and when the latter extinguished the fire, police ranks entered the house and observed the charred remains of the couple lying on a bed in a bedroom on the north-eastern side of the upper-flat of the building.

It is believed that King injured his reputed wife first, before setting the house on fire. Their bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
King, the father of three young children from another relationship, was the owner of a barber shop at Diamond Housing Scheme, while his reputed wife operated a stationery outlet and salon nearby.

According to neighbours, the couple had just that weekend moved into the house.
“They went through a lot to get that house, and within a few minutes, everything gone. Only God knows what went down,” a relative told this newspaper.
According to the relative, the couple had lived a private life, but King was “jealous” of his reputed wife.