Man chops mother and nephew to death

According to residents of Hugh Shearer Drive in Martha Brae, Trelawny, the murder of 56-year-old Jennifer ‘Coolie’ Gordon and her five-year-old grandson Levon Walker could have been avoided.

Both were reportedly chopped to death on Saturday night by Leon Whyte, son and uncle, respectively, of the deceased. Whyte was then shot and killed by police who came to investigate.

Dozens of residents gathered outside the four apartment concrete dwelling yesterday morning, to witness the gruesome scene.

They say they were convinced that Whyte, who was a known mental patient, was always a threat.

Glen Sawyers told THE STAR: “Mi know that boy from him born, and him use to be a good youth. Him go a Muschett High School and then go a HEART, but despite him education, him suffer a deadly mental issue. “

He said that Whyte, who they called ‘Duval’, also chopped his father seven years ago in Bunkers Hill.

“If the father caa manage him, how him mother fi manage him? Since him come inna the area, him violent bad, and a several times them have fi call police pon him,” he said.

Pastor Shawn Kelly of Riverside Baptist Church, where Gordon worshipped, said occasionally he had to take Whyte to the hospital for him to be medicated.

Medication in his food

“If he is off the medication for sometime, he becomes violent. With the help of other church members, he has had to be tied up and taken to the hospital for him to be injected. Coolie used to put the medication in his food and if she fails, he goes off,” he said.

Gwendolyn Clarke, Gordon’s mother and Walker’s great-grandmother, told THE STAR: “Mi hear di noise an Coolie de bawl out, but nobady nuh come fah him always a galang bad, because him mad. Sometime him mash everyting eena de house. Wen dem tell mi wah him do, mi jus drap dung eena di bed. All now mi can’t sleep nar eat.”

Senior Superintendent Kirk Ricketts, commanding officer for Trelawny, told THE STAR about the tragic incident.

“The police are doing everything possible to render counselling to the community members, and the immediate family members, of all three victims,” Ricketts said. “It is also unfortunate that when the police went to the location to subdue Mr Whyte, he attacked them with a machete and was fatally shot. I have since gone in the area and spoke to the community members and I also spoke to the Health Department, and I was informed that Whyte was a patient who was treated as recently as (earlier in) May of this year. “

Police sources also confirmed that cops had indeed responded to complaints about Whyte in the past.