Murder/Suicide: Police Officer Kills Wife Before Killing Himself

Josephine Hamilton

Punta Gorda police are investigating a murder-suicide involving one of their own and his common-law-wife. Police constable Steven Anthony Ferguson fatally shot Josephine Hamilton, before shooting himself in the head on Wednesday night at their residence in Punta Gorda Town. It happened shortly before eleven o’clock and when police arrived on the scene, they found Hamilton with three gunshots wounds to the head and Ferguson with a single gunshot wound to his head. The incident unfolded in front of the couple’s children. Moments earlier, the couple was engaged in a physical confrontation that was heard by neighbors. But according to the residents we spoke with, Wednesday night’s fight was not the first between the spouses. They say that Hamilton had been repeatedly abused by Ferguson for quite some time. In fact, Hamilton had plans to leave Ferguson on Tuesday but was unable to sell a pair of pants for money she would have used to travel to Belize City. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo reports.

Steven Anthony Ferguson

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

At around 10:45, the Wednesday night calmness in Punta Gorda Town was shattered by the sound of four gun shots. The popping sounds penetrated the walls of this house on Faustino Zuniga Street, prompting neighbors to investigate. Inside the house were the lifeless bodies of thirty-seven-year-old police constable Steven Anthony Ferguson, a member of the Quick Response Team, his thirty-year-old common-law wife, Josephine Hamilton and a police issued firearm with four expended shells. It was a murder/suicide. Ferguson fatally shot his long-time spouse three times, before pulling the trigger on himself.

Joseph Myvett

ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“Officer Ferguson was seen on the floor, motionless, with an apparent gunshot type injury to the right temple which apparently exited the left temple. A police issued nine millimeter pistol was seen about a foot away from his head. Nearby to his body his common-law wife Josephine Hamilton, thirty years domestic of the same address was seen in a sitting position, motionless as well. Upon examination of the scene, she was seen with several gunshot type injuries, two to the top of the head and one towards the left eye.”

Inside the residence at the time of the shooting were two children shared by the couple and Ferguson’s two teenage sons. Prior to the gunshots, neighbors say they heard shouting, screams, crying and later silence coming from the residence. The couple was engaged in a heated physical confrontation in the presence of their children.

Voice of: Neighbor

“Before the gunshots, they were quarrelling. He was beating her because we heard her crying. When I went at the back door, because I already locked the door I just opened the window a little bit but she was bawling. I don’t know what he was doing with her but the was bawling and the kids and everybody  as in the house. All I heard, he said it was about the phone or something. All I heard she tell the young man that she did not do it. She said that it was not her who sent to put something on Facebook with some kind of thing that was going on.”

Tishae Nunez, Neighbor

“You only hear when they are … and her back and forth and he is the thing her and he is a person who look like he didn’t take one. Then the gunshots rang off. Then when we came outside, all I saw was his son coming right here on the porch and he bend down and started to cry.”

Police arrived on the scene, accompanied by a medical officer who officially pronounced the couple dead.

Ferguson and Hamilton were involved in a toxic and violent relationship for several years. PC Ferguson, originally from Hattieville, was transferred to the Punta Gorda Police station and began renting in the town about four months ago. Neighbors say that Hamilton, who is originally from Belize City, reportedly suffered, physical, emotional and mental abuse at the hands of Ferguson.

Voice of: Neighbor

“He just beat her every time. Just last week, he dragged her out of the house, all the neighbors in the yard, everybody seeing. Naked one. Beat her in the yard”.

Tishae Nunez

Tishae Nunez

“She always came and spoke to us about her domestic life and she is in for ten years and things like that.”

Hipolito Novelo

“What did she use to say?”

Tishae Nunez

“She came and said that he would beat her. Saturday, it looked like they were arguing and it looks like he caught her talking on the phone and he dragged her from the house and started to beat her. Outside, on top of the roof.”

Hipolito Novelo

“I heard she was disrobed, naked?”

Tishae Nunez

“Yes. He did all of that. We watched.”

The fights between Ferguson and Hamilton were so violent that neighbors called the cops but still, nothing was done. ACP Joseph Myvett says there are no reports of any prior altercation between the couple but the neighbors beg to differ. In fact, they say Hamilton’s plea for help went unanswered.

ACP Joseph Myvett

“No there was none in PG as far as I was reported to. There was no report in PG.”

Voice of Neighbor

“I think they suppose to know because every time the police come there they don’t do anything. I don’t know if he is a police officer or something that’s why they don’t want to you know. Because the first time I came to work here, he was beating her, I looked through the window and when police they came, they just walked into the house. The young lady was trying to talk to the police and tell them her situation and one of the police man told her to shut up her mouth.”

ACP Joseph Myvett

“No I am not aware of that. I did make checks this morning before the press conference hence the reason I am saying there are no recorded reports.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Police officers here, did they know what was going in that house?”

Tishae Nunez

“I think so Sir because every time when the domestic would happen, police would come so I think they knew she was living in a domestic life with this man.”

Hamilton relayed what she was going through with Ferguson via her Facebook profile. In a lengthy and emotional status posted exactly one month ago, on October twenty-second, Hamilton wrote that some women fail because they enter into a relationship with a man without knowing what the future holds or who the man truly is. She spoke about men who make promises to women, promises that never come true. She advised women to get to know the man before getting into a relationship. Hamilton said that doing this can be of assistance because it can, “really save you some hurt and heart aches, it could also save you some abuse by those so-called men who believe abusing women in any form is ok.”

She ends by saying that there is always two sides to a story and encourages other women to not be a victim of “these bitter men”. But unfortunately, Hamilton herself was a victim of a bitter man which is why she had made plans to leave Ferguson. She was planning to travel to Belize City in search of sanctuary.

Tishae Nunez

“Sunday she came to our house because she was wanted to sell us a pants. So she came and said she will sell the pants for fifteen dollars so she can go to Belize and never, ever return her again. She said she going on Tuesday so for us to buy the pants by Tuesday. But we didn’t have any money so we didn’t buy the pants and Wednesday, she died yesterday.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.