Murder-Suicide Rocks Quiet Berbice Village
GUYANA — The quiet village of Number 30 on the West Coast of Berbice was
plunged into a state of shock on Thursday after a policewoman was hacked to death
in her home by a man who later hanged himself.
Reports are that Police Sergeant Kenisha Sheriff-Fraser, 39, a mother of three, and
her killer, Clayton Anthony, also known as ‘Woody,’ 42, a pork knocker, lived at the
same address. They grew up together in the village.
Residents were left baffled as to what may have led to the gruesome murder-suicide.
Sheriff-Fraser’s body was found naked on the floor of her bedroom by neighbors. It
bore several chop wounds.
Anthony, according to reports, was seen fleeing the scene after fatally wounding the
woman. About an hour later, his body was found hanging on a tree.
The Stabroek News reported on Friday that neighbors suspect the two may have
been involved in a relationship for a while.
Sheriff-Fraser, whose children are 18, 11 and 5, was stationed at the Registry of the
Central Police Station in New Amsterdam.
According to residents, sometime around 9 am Thursday, they heard screams
coming from her home. Sheriff-Fraser and members of her family occupied the top
flat of the house, while Anthony occupied the bottom flat.
One neighbor, according to the Stabroek News report, said that he did not suspect
the worst initially but after the “screams” and “crying” continued, he become worried.
A neighbour rushed over to the house and she spotted Anthony running out of a
room. He then picked up a rope and ran out of the house.
The neighbour then entered the room and discovered Fraser’s mutilated body. The
Stabroek News said it was told that Sheriff-Fraser’s wounds included a laceration to
her neck, two chop wounds on her left hand, one on her left breast, two on her face
and a chop wound, said to be the largest, on her chest. She also sustained several
other minor chop wounds about her body. It was also noted that the suspected
murder weapon, a cutlass, was found clutched in her left arm.
Sheriff-Fraser’s son, Rinson Rose, 18, was reported as saying he broke down into
tears after seeing what had happened, as he could not believe that his “kindhearted
mother” was lying with chop wounds about her body in front of him. He said that
relatives had to remove him from the bedroom.
Rose was reported by the Stabroek News as saying his mother loved her job. She
was known as a nice, humble, and always friendly police officer. She was well
respected and liked by her colleagues, he said.