Jan 16, 2018

Orange Walk Man Accused of Killing Mom; Resident Intervenes to Save Second Victim

A son killed his mother in cold blood this morning and tonight he is on the run. Police are looking for twenty-five-year-old Andy Rhaburn for the matricide of fifty-four-year-old Braulia Pech. It appears that Rhaburn visited his mother’s house where she lived alone and operated a small shop in the Spanish Town area of Carmelita Village in Orange Walk.  Something went very wrong and Rhaburn hit Pech in the head with a crowbar causing a large cut wound. But after he killed his mother, he went about three hundred yards down the street and attacked another woman – luckily she was rescued and is stable in the hospital. The matricide has shocked the northern community – and this morning Andrea Polanco went north to find out why the son killed his mother. It is known that the mother and son have had a rocky relationship. Here’s the story:

 

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

Teresita Pech walked into her mother’s yard this morning and made a gruesome discovery. Her mother, fifty-four-year-old Braulia Pech, was injured badly, lying almost dead here in the back yard behind her shop in Carmelita Village, Orange Walk.  And there was no question about who had attacked Pech. It was her son twenty-five-year-old Andy Rhaburn. The family believes he went looking for money and when he didn’t get it, he turned on her. It happened around eight this morning but it appears that no one saw or heard anything and it wasn’t until Teresita entered the property just before eight-thirtythat she found her mother unresponsive that she knew something bad had happened. Teresita thought her mother was dead alreadyand says that she didn’t see any signs of violence on the body, but that there was blood near the kitchen. It appears that the mother and son got into an altercation inside the property where there were signs of a struggle in the bedroom. Butit seems that the exchange moved outdoors to where Pech was attacked with a crowbar – hit in the head- and left for dead. She died shortly after at the hospital.

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech, Daughter of Deceased

“I came in this morning and I saw the door was open from the shop but I never thought about that. My mind was – and I start to holler for my ma, ‘ma, ma’ and I went more out and when I turn I saw her on the floor. She was right there and I saw her and I start to scream. I didn’t know what to do. My first reaction was, ‘oh my mom was dead.’

 

Andrea Polanco

“Why was your mom attacked and who attacked her?”

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech

“Well, they say it is my brother; my little brother.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“Why would your brother attack your mom?”

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech

“Well, he was on drugs and he never wanted to work. He only wanted to stay home and like how she have her shop, he just come in and eat stuff from the shop. He never wanted to work. He always begged my mom for money. So maybe we said that is what happened this morning. That he was asking for money and maybe he get vex and he attacked her.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“Do you know what he used to attack your mom with; a machete, anything?”

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech

“They say that it was a pinch bar.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“So he hit her in her head?”

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech

“Uh huh.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“No one heard her screaming or anything?”

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech

“No. My sister said she didn’t hear her screaming.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“How do you guys know it’s him [who attacked your mom]?”

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech

“Because he was the only one who was here. My sister was sleeping and he was here and the door was open. He took her bike and he left and that is why the door left open.”

 

Rhaburn lived right next to his mother – and would usually come over to the shop. His sister says he is on drugs and this is not the first time he has been violent towards their mother. He once burnt her house down- maybe the signs were there but they didn’t think it would end in matricide.

 

Andrea Polanco

“Did he ever get violent with your mom before?”

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech

“Yeah. Many times he get violent. The last time – my mom has an upstairs home and he burn that down.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“You’ve seen your brother get violent with your mom did you ever imagine that it would come to this; that he would kill her?”

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech

“Well, we never thought about that until this but he used to – my mom has dogs and he used to kill the dogs with machete. He used to chop the dog head and my older brother said that one day he told her [my mom] that maybe that is the way you are going to end; maybe he is going to do you the same thing.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“As a family, how do you reconcile with this; because this is a case where your mom was killed by her own son – your brother. How do you guys process this as a family?”

 

Voice of: Teresita Pech

“Hmmm. It is rough. I don’t know how we will pass through this because it is very bad. It is very bad for us to know that my own brother – her own son killed her.”

 

And after he killed his mother, Rhaburn took off down the street and attacked another woman with the same crowbar.  Lilia Xujur would have been murder victim number two had it not been for Curtis Wade;  the villager intervened and rescued her just outside of his gate. Rhaburn attacked him in the process – biting him in the chest and inflicting injuries to his arms. And then he made good his escape.

 

Curtis Wade, Resident

“When I come out I see the bwai Andy di half kill wah lady with wah pinch bar right deh. When he give the lady the first wap he ketch ah pahn ih hand; when he give ah the next wap he ketch ah pahn ih head and when he give the third wap, I run deh and grab the pinch bar. Me and he struggle over the lady and drop pahn the ground and that dah when he give me wah lee bite pahn mi ribs and I strike ah with the pinch bar and the man run gone so and I nuh know weh the man gone.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“So you believe you save this lady this morning because it look like he mi wah kill ah?”

 

Curtis Wade

“He mi wah kill – he mi wi wah kill. He mi done give ah two wap and the third wap he mi wah give ah and she done mi di look unconscious on the ground and that dah when I jump in and me and he drop over.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“And she dah just wah resident weh you say mi di ride in the village?”

 

Curtis Wade

“Yes. She dah from right ova deh. She have five pickney and she di hurry go buy dah the same bwai ma shop fi feed ih pickney deh fi send deh dah school.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“So, he just randomly attack ah?”

 

Curtis Wade

“Just random – fi nothing – just randomly di wap up ah because he done kill the old lady, so he decided like mek ah kill wah next old lady too.”

 

Wade says he has known Rhaburn all his life – he doesn’t believe Andy was mentally challenged but that the drugs he used may have contributed to the murder. He says Braulia Pech was always too kind and forgiving to her son, so he took advantage and now he’s killed her.

 

Curtis Wade

“Andy dah nuh like that – the old lady got Andy like that. Andy dah somebody weh nuh talk. He nuh talk to nobody. Andy pass you and nuh bid you the time ah the day – nothing, nothing.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“Was he mentally challenged or anything?”

 

Curtis Wade

“He smoke too much fireworks; dah lone fireworks weh got dem bwai di go on like that right now.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“So, he neva attack anybody in this village as far as you know?”

 

Curtis Wade

“No. Nobody.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“Suh he only had issues with his family?”

 

Curtis Wade

“Yes with his family – only with his family members deh.”

 

Andrea Polanco

“You mi know Andy any at all?”

 

Curtis Wade

“All my life I know dah lee bwai – all mi life. Dah ih ma mek it get so, like I di tell you, yuh know. If you want yuh pickney grow right and raise right, train ah right mek he grow right.  Ten grand – just imagine, mammy. You wah pay ten grand fi tek out your son when he done bun up your house. This bwai nuh crazy yuh know – he just the play crazy. Watch pahn this mammy – I wah bun up this house because I crazy but I wah tek out all ah my things – clean and dirty – but I wah bun up your things. That dah crazy man action? That dah no crazy man action. Wah crazy man mi done kill deh people deh you think he mi wah run? The bwai inna his five senses, just that yeah.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.