Woman held after man’s body found on beach

A 32-year-old caterer has been detained by police in connection with the murder of a 52-year-old man, whose mutilated body was discovered at Manzanilla beach on Monday evening. The victim of the brutal attack has been identified as Ronald Atkin, of Diamond Vale, Diego Martin.

A woman, who operates a catering company in San Juan, remained in custody at the Region Two Homicide Bureau up to late yesterday. According to police reports, shortly after midday on Monday, a woman went to the Sangre Grande Police Station where she reported she had been sexually assaulted by a former client.

The woman told police Atkin contacted her over the weekend to arrange a meeting in Sangre Grande in which he planned to pay her $5,000 for services she had performed at a function, a couple of months ago. She claimed after meeting with Atkin, he took her to an abandoned house in Manzanilla where he attempted to rape her while holding a knife to her neck.

The suspect told investigators she struggled and was able to wrestle the knife from him. She then admitted to stabbing him several times before fleeing to the police in his vehicle. The lawmen visited the property with the woman but became suspicious when they did not find Atkin’s body and they noticed the details of the murder scene was not as described.

A search of several houses in the area was conducted which led the lawmen to a desolate section of Manzanilla beach where they found Atkin’s body. Homicide detectives said he was found with his arms and legs bound and his mouth gagged. His throat was slashed from ear-to-ear and he was stabbed more than 15 times in the chest and stomach.

Crime scene investigators believed Atkin was killed and tortured at the house where the woman claimed to be attacked and his body dumped on the beach. Up to late yesterday, she was being interrogated by police. However, police sources said her version of the events had not wavered since she first made the report.

The murder toll now stands at 320 for the year. Superintendent Hendron Moses, ASP Odette Lewis and acting Insp Wayne Lawrence are continuing investigations.