2008’s first murder may be drug related

After three weeks of peace in the streets, tonight homicide detectives are working on the first murder of the year. And as News Five’s Marion Ali reports, the motive behind the killing may be drug related.

Marion Ali, Reporting
Just after five this morning, thirty year old Norman Reyes, also known as “Ne Me”, became the first murder victim for 2008. According to investigators, Reyes was shot while he sat in this chair in his one-bedroom apartment on Flamboyant Street.

He was shot once in the neck by a lone gunman. The badly bleeding Reyes then made a desperate effort to get help but only made it to the corner where he collapsed. His cousin Shelmadine Daly, who lives a few houses away, saw someone lying on the street but never believed it was her cousin.

Shelmadine Daly, Cousin of Murder Victim
“Fi he sister live with me dah my house ova deh. I mi di sleep. I hear the noise but I noh really mi di pay it no mind. But then she come wake me and tell me that how Ne Me get shot up. I hear wah big bang, I noh hear no gunshot. I noh know if da mi gunshot or what but I hear wah big bang bout round the same time. Then my cousin come tell me that how “Ne Me” get shot up. I wake up fool fool and then I tell she she lie so she seh yes. Then she tell me bring the phone and then I get the phone and I come out ah my room. When I reach the front door I si a lot of people outside. I neva si he so I tell she “Weh ih deh?” and then she seh see ah out deh pan di street. Then I run out with the phone eena my hand and I di try call police but I neva mi di get through. Then I gone to he and he deh kneel down pan di ground like so … and then wah boy, one ah ih friend got wah shirt or wah dark cloth da ih neck and then the boy di bawl fi mek somebody help ah, fi call police fi ah or ambulance fi mek they ker ah dah hospital or get wah vehicle fi ah. Then I gone to he and I call ah by ih nickname. Ih say Ne Me. So I tell a Ne Me? Then ih grab me with fi he left hand right ya so. And then I say Ne Me da who, da who. So he say Mammy help mi.”

But that would be the last time Daly would hear her cousin’s voice. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital but died shortly after arrival.

As the reality of his death set in, possible motives for the crime led to a physical confrontation between the victim’s cousin and his girlfriend.

Reyes’ girlfriend of two years, and mother of his infant son, Shirlene Barrow, says she normally spends the night with Reyes but something stopped her last night.

Shirlene Barrow, Girlfriend of Murder Victim
“Every night I go deh and wah mind just tell me just stay home because I usually change up my pickni and I neva mi change them yet so they end up di drop asleep and when they drop asleep I seh I no wah ker them again because the lee boy gah cold already. So, and I mi done si he earlier the night and he tell me once ih get too late mek I no bring the pickni them. The person weh do dat really no got no mind. They should neva do ah dat because he mi got wa lee baby, just gah ih lee baby the other day and the baby no even know ah good yet, yo know? I no know why deh do ah dat. But me an aal mi wah get the same thing once I mi stay deh with ah. Me an aal could a mi dead. That’s why I seh dat person no gat no mind because from me an aal they could a mi kill too once I mi deh een deh with ah mam.”

Today Reyes’ mother says she is grieving the loss of her son but holds no malice against his murderer.

Bernadine Stevens, Mother of Murder Victim
“I no have no hatred or nothing against dah person, right. The person weh do it I just di ask deh mek peace with God. Mek peace with God and no do it again. The police wah do the rest. The police wah do the rest. Right now my whole a my inside di tremble and thing.”

Marion Ali
“You want know why deh do it right?”

Bernadine Stevens
“Yes I want know why deh do it to Me Me. Because Me Me of all the person eena the world, yo know? I mi expect deh do it to my other son, no Me Me. Me Me loving, loving to the kids deh, yo know … everybody.”

But while the family are asking why, Crimes Investigations Branch Deputy
Commander, Sergeant Hilberto Romero, says police believe Reyes was involved in the drug trade.

Hilberto Romero
“At this time we have five persons detained and we are working on the case as we speak to try and establish who was the person who committed this crime.”

Marion Ali
“Is there a motive? What was the motive behind it?”

Sergeant Romero
“Well our investigation is revealing that it may have been drug-related and that is the motive we are working on at this time. We don’t have the details at this time but that is where our investigation is heading; that that might have been the motive for this murder. He had been charged with possession of controlled drugs before.”

Marion Ali
“Weed?”

Sergeant Romero
“Marijuana yes, correct.”

Marion Ali
“And you believe the incident for which he was allegedly killed had to do with the—along the same lines? I mean small quantity of weed or you’re talking a larger scale?”

Sergeant Romero
“Well I don’t know the scale but it had something to do in that line like you mentioned.”

Up to news time, police had not laid any charges against any of the five men detained earlier today. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.