MAY PEN HORROR

A resident of the usually quiet Glenmuir Drive in May Pen, Clarendon, is still shaken after recalling the horrifying moment a terrified 12-year-old boy came tearing through the streets late Sunday night, crying out that his mother had been killed, allegedly by her spouse, who the police has named as ‘Tony’ Thompson and the main suspect.

The child, the resident recalled, was trembling and frantic as he begged for help – just minutes after hearing his mother’s ear-piercing screams from behind a locked bedroom door, and later seeing her lying inside with multiple chop wounds.

The deceased has been identified as 46-year-old Jennifer Williamson, a caregiver.

Police reports are that about 10:31 p.m. on Sunday, Williamson was inside a bedroom with her spouse when her 12-year-old son reportedly heard her screaming for help.

The child reportedly went to the bedroom, but the door was locked. He tried to open it, but his efforts were futile.

The alleged suspect later opened the door, and fled the scene with a machete in hand, the police say.

The child reportedly found his mother suffering from chop wounds to the head, abdomen, and hands. Another occupant of the house reportedly assisted in taking the injured woman to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The gruesome discovery and the child’s desperate dash into the night have left the community stunned.

One relative, visibly shaken, could only manage a few words.

“Bwoy, ... it rough,’’ he said to journalists following a counselling session at the May Pen Police Station.

The deceased, a mother of six – including 10-year-old twins – was reportedly attacked inside her home during what residents theorise as the violent climax of a long-standing domestic dispute involving her spouse.

One resident told The Gleaner that Sunday’s fatal incident stemmed from an ongoing conflict tied to the woman’s living arrangement at the property – which the resident said is owned by her spouse’s relatives.

The spouse’s relatives had reportedly told Williamson she could stay at the house while she worked to get back to a place of stability.

The Gleaner was told that the relationship between the couple had reportedly gone sour, and tensions had been brewing for some time.

Sources said that amid mounting tensions at the home, Williamson left the Clarendon home for a period to “cool out”, while searching for another place to live. The Gleaner understands that Williamson had just returned from Kingston when she was attacked.

Allegations are that the conflict erupted over her continued presence at the house, with the suspect reportedly insisting that she leave.

Residents also pointed to what they described as signs of a deepening dispute, including the disconnection of electricity at the home. The children, they said, had reportedly been forced to charge their devices at neighbours’ houses – a situation they believe underscored the strain and instability that had become part of the family’s daily reality.

“Di fruit man wanted her out of the house. But mi say, if the owner gave her permission to stay there, don’t harass her,” a resident said.

“Mi feel it, man. Mi nuh eat, mi a ah tell yuh,” the resident continued, while insisting that the incident does not reflect the true character of the community.

When The Gleaner visited the area on Monday, an eerie stillness hung over the two-storey house – a stark contrast to the chaos and terror residents said unfolded the night before.

The police are urging Thompson, a fruit vendor, to turn himself in.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is being asked to contact the May Pen Police at 876986-2208.

olivia.brown@gleanerjm.com