Mother of four is slaughtered by jealous husband

A mother of four is murdered by the hands of her common law husband in Santa Elena. An early morning confession and swift arrest by police does little to dull the blow to the family and the community of Esperanza. Jose Sanchez reports from the scene of the crime.

Andre Bradley, Son of Murder Victim
“When I mi deh home di sleep like round seven dis morning and den he come inna wah frighten voice and di shake my foot and tell me I jus kill yo ma. And den he throw ih wallet pan me and burst off ih chain and tell me dat how he ready fi go da jail. Dat dah all weh he tell me.”

Jose Sanchez, Reporting
A gruesome murder in Santa Elena shocks residents along the Cristo Rey road at Espat’s Poultry Products Processor, as Mirba Bradley, a murder of four is slaughtered. But her death is only half of the story. According to her son, Andre, the man who slaughtered his mother is his father, Ermitt Bradley.

Andre Bradley
“I believe at di moment because he show me di blood pan ih hand and den di way how start talk dat how if ih live he just gwein fi attempted murder. So I seh to myself maybe my ma might live right. but den I start get worried cause di knife weh he do it with da mi wah big knife so I seh if I tell di neighbours dehn might could ker me up da hospital. When I gone up da hospital dehn tell me dat how my ma dead. And den right afta dat di police dehn come fi ah and den dehn ker ah.”

Jose Sanches
“Were your parents having problems? Were they living together?”

Anre Bradley
“Yeah. I noh know how yo woulda call it but domestic violence I guess.”

Jose Sanchez
“So you woulda seh from time to time they woulda have lee problems?”

Andre Bradley
“Yeah, now and then.”

Jose Sanchez
“So, at this point how does the family feel? I mean everybody, how are they coping with the situation?”

Andre Bradley
“We all di grieve because da somebody weh all ah we love and we wah deeply miss because dis happen so dats dat none ah we believe it. None ah we believe dat he mi wah ever do dat.”

Jose Sanchez
“How old is di youngest sibling?”

Andre Bradley
“Ten.”

Jose Sanchez
“At this point now, its very possible dat not only your mother, if your father goes to jail, you’ll be losing him also.”

Andre Bradley
“How we wah cope with dat? Well, we just have to work together as wah family and try wi best and do weh we have to do”

Enrique Aldana, Sergeant
“The police received information about six-thirty this morning where they responded to Mister Espat’s poultry products processor off Cristo Rey Road. On their arrival they saw the lifeless boy of a female identified to be Mirba Bradley, forty-five years, Belizean domestic of Esperanza Village. Police observed a large cut wound to her neck and two stab wounds to her back. She was transferred to the San Ignacio hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. The investigation reveals that her common-law husband, Ermitt Bradley, forty-five years, of George Price avenue had visited the same poultry processing place where an argument started between both of them, where at the end he end up di pull out a knife from his pocket and inflict the said wounds to the lady.”

Jose Sanchez
“Have you caught him?”

Enriwue Aldana
“Yes, he was detained this morning where he was seen with a cut wound to his finger. Subsequently, police have arrested and charged him with the crime of murder.”

Andre Bradley
“Fi he mind mi set dat he mi wah do dat. So, he just gone set dat he mi wah pull off whatsoever mission ih got fi pull off and ih give in himself easy.”

Nena Crawford, Neighbour
“She is a nice person, working and every morning ih go dah work and ih come in da evening and she dah wah person weh no bother wid nobody. She keep to ihself. Ih live wid ih sister in-law dehn inna di yard ova deh. Wow, real, real shocking. Ih mek my pressure and all … you know because we know ah long time and den yoh got dehn man weh di tek too much chance ah dehn lady like how dehn seh dat how di problem weh ih have wid ih husband. I noh really know bout it but yoh know how people seh and thing like dat. I know ah as wah friendly and quiet lady.”

At the San Ignacio police station Ermitt is charged with Murder and expresses no remorse while being transported to the remand section of the prison. Two eyewitnesses have given their account of the incident. One of them said that the situation is in God’s hands and though he declined to do an on camera interview, he will testify in court.

Jose Sanchez
“Do you think you’d be able to talk to your father after this?”

Andre Bradley
“dat dah wah very complicated question. He just kill my ma and me fi got di heart fi watch he inna ih face and talk to he ih wah hard. Ih wah hard.”

Jose Sanchez
“He said he did it but he never said why.”

Andre Bradley
“Ih me tell me why. He seh he mi got wah sort ah feeling dat my ma mi got somebody else; some “Boss Man” and he mi can’t tek it no moh.”

Jose Sanchez
“Given the fact that they were separated, he still became—in other words he was just jealous.”

Andre Bradley
“Jealousy is the word.”

Jose Sanchez for News Five.