Donna-Lee’s family ready to forgive killer

Although in immense pain, some of Donna-Lee Donaldson's relatives are prepared to forgive her killer as they refuse to harbour any hate in their hearts.

Donaldson's boyfriend, Noel Maitland, was yesterday charged with murder. The charge came 20 days after she was reported missing by her mother, Sophia Lugg.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey, the country's crime chief, yesterday said that even though her body has not been recovered, "we believe that she is dead based on our investigations and science".

The news that the police have shifted their missing person probe to a murder investigation was a tough pill for Donaldson's relatives to swallow. Her grandmother, Beverly Robinson, and her aunts Jermadeen and Ann Marie Lugg told THE STAR that they have been depending on their faith to get through these trying times.

"I would pray for him and tell him to confess his sin to God and ask Him for forgiveness. I don't hate him... God knows best and I trust God," Robinson said about the alleged killer.

Maitland was taken into custody on July 27 in connection with Donaldson's disappearance, but no charge was laid against him. The murder charge was laid yesterday, 20 days after the probe began. He was then taken before a court on July 29 and was ordered remanded in custody. The police believe he "got assistance after the fact" to dispose her body.

Still trying to come to terms with the police's view that Donaldson's will not be coming home, her relatives said that their best hope is to put the matter in the hands of God.

"Forgiveness is the only cure for us to move and I don't want us to walk around with a heavy heart," Ann Marie said.

"In time I will forgive him for our peace of mind. We don't hate him, and with God, people can change. We have seen and heard of stories where murderers change for the better. I would just want to ask him where her body is, so we can get closure," she added.

PRAYING INCESSANTLY

Robinson and Ann Marie said they have been praying incessantly for justice since the 24-year-old social media personality went missing.

"We prayed for closure because we knew we just had to come to terms with reality," Ann Marie said. "We were praying that we would find her alive but based on certain things, we just figured that she wasn't going to come home to us."

Bailey said that detectives are engaged in a "diligent and comprehensive" probe. Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson said that the investigation has benefitted from the input of a highly competent team of professionals drawn from the police force, the Independent Commission of Investigations, the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine and the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

"Relatives of Donna-Lee and members of the public can be assured that we have approached the investigations in a very deliberate and systematic way," Anderson said.

Meanwhile, Robinson said that even though murder charges have been laid against Maitland, she is hanging on to a thread of hope that she will see her beloved granddaughter alive again.

"My hope is still there in the name of Jesus. God can still work a miracle, so I will just continue to pray and let God give us the victory. I will pray for her, wherever she is, whether she is dead or alive," Robinson said.

Maitland and Donaldson were dating for about two years. However, according to relatives they were not all warm to the cop.

"We would see him come and park at the gate and pick up and drop off Donna-Lee but we just didn't like him," Ann Marie said.

In the meantime, Christopher Townsend, the attorney representing Maitland, said that it "is very early days" in the case.

"Whether the charge will stick is another matter. It depends on the evidence," Townsend said. "Charging somebody doesn't mean they are guilty."