Repent for killing Omar - Aunt of murdered deaf-mute begs criminals

Scores of persons cried openly on Sunday at the thanksgiving service for Omar Newton, a speech- and hearing-impaired man who was murdered during a robbery in Top Hill, St Catherine, in January.

During a tribute for her nephew at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Pennington, Donna Newton-Wright implored his killers to confess and repent.

"They shouldn't have done what they have done, but I leave them all to God. I pray that the Lord may have mercy on those who gunned down Omar; may he bring them to repentance and to confession," she said.

Similar sentiments were echoed by another aunt, Cynthia Smith, who spoke on behalf of relatives living in the United Kingdom.

"May the Lord grant each of us his peace and forgiveness as we forgive those who have taken Omar's life," she said.

Newton's life was cut short on January 13 when he was shot in the head by gunmen at a bar simply because he 'disobeyed' a command to lie on the floor when a robbery was taking place.

The 35-year-old could not hear the command to get flat because of his disability. He died about six weeks later at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Another man who was shot during the robbery is recuperating.

Jennise Brailsford-Wright, another of Omar's aunts, in delivering the eulogy, noted that her nephew was widely loved despite his disabilities.

She said although he couldn't speak, he demonstrated his love and wore a smile everywhere he went.

"Although Omar did not go to school because of his inability to speak, he was able to demonstrate with his hands he demonstrated a high level of intelligence," she said.

Newton, who was a farmer, was buried close to where his animals, a donkey and two goats, were grazing.