Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
The man who murdered Lennox Williams had been a trusted family friend—so much so that he sometimes slept over and even had a key to the premises.
Relatives said yesterday that they had no idea what led him to kill Williams and stab 44-year-old nursing assistant Lyndon Gumbs at their Central Street, Vistabella home on Carnival Monday.
The attacker, who works as a security officer, is still on the run.
In a statement to police, Gumbs said he was asleep at 2 am on Carnival Monday when he felt a burning sensation on his face. He said he saw the suspect standing over him with a black-handled knife with a four-inch blade. The assailant threatened to kill him.
Gumbs said Williams then emerged from his room and urged the suspect to calm down. Enraged, the suspect reportedly attacked Gumbs by slashing him on the shoulder and then stabbed Williams in the abdomen before fleeing.
Speaking to Guardian Media, Williams’ brother, Kenneth Williams, said he did not know what triggered the attack. He said his brother was stabbed after telling the suspect to leave his house.
Recalling the tragedy, Kenneth said he was at home in the downstairs portion of the house when his 23-year-old son, Kevin, woke him up, saying there was an altercation upstairs.
By the time he went upstairs, the attack had already taken place, and he saw his brother lying motionless on the ground.
“He could not speak. My other relative (Gumbs) was bleeding from the face,” Kenneth said.
He revealed that his son called paramedics, who advised him to use a towel to stop the blood flow before the ambulance arrived. In the meantime, Kenneth placed Gumbs in their car and rushed him to the San Fernando General Hospital.
Kenneth said he had known the suspect for over three years, as he would visit Gumbs every other weekend.
“I never know him to get on like this or to be violent,” Kenneth said.
He said the suspect was also helpful to the family.
“When my brother and our relative were abroad last year, the suspect came home and cooked a pot of dog food for the dogs so my son could dish it out. That was how trusted he was,” Kenneth recalled.
Gumbs has since been discharged from the hospital but he was too distraught to speak when Guardian Media visited yesterday.
Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-TIPS. Investigations are ongoing.