Mother relies on faith after son murdered on Christmas Eve

Odean Hinds loved his mother's cooking and was looking forward to stuffing his stomach with her culinary creations on Christmas Day. His mind was set on some sumptuous oxtail, curried goat, baked chicken and other delights, and his mother was advanced in her preparations to make sure this would be a Christmas dinner to remember.

However, in a cruel twist of fate, there were no feast on Christmas Day, only a bitter taste of pain mixed with anger after Hinds was shot to death in east Kingston.

As expected, Hinds' mother, who asked not to be named, is broken.

"Everything did season up fi cook and mi did bake already, but now everything in the fridge same way. Him tell mi seh him want oxtail, curried goat, baked chicken and some other things. Mi buy everything that him say him want. But instead of cooking, mi end up go to the hospital to go collect his belongings," she told THE STAR.

Reports from the Elletson Road police are that about 10:15 p.m., Hinds was driving his motor car when upon reaching a section of Deanery Road, Kingston, explosions were heard. The police were summoned and upon arrival, Hinds was found in the driver's seat of his white Toyota Probox motor car with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the side of his head.

He was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Hinds, 43, of McIntyre Villa, Franklyn Town, Kingston 16, was a cab driver in the east Kingston area for several years. His mother described him as a hard-working, quiet and non-contentious human being.

It is the second time in four years that death has visited the mother's doorsteps in this horrific manner. She told THE STAR that her husband was murdered at their business place in downtown Kingston in 2019.

"A robber come up on us and they took everything, and they killed him on the spot. He died in my hands," the grieving woman said.

"After my husband was killed I became a child of God, so now I am relying on my faith to get through this. I am a black African woman so I am strong. I am holding it and I am going to be firm. My son was taken away from me, but God is going to give me the strength, and my God is going to bring dem to me, and when God brings dem to me, I am going to be at the altar," she said.