Maloney corpse identified as drug lord
Relatives of a 35-year-old man, who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by four police officers two weeks ago, are calling for an transparent investigation into their relative's murder.The relatives made the call yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, after they identified the decomposing body of the relative, Johnny Noel, of Carenage, who was reported missing since March 11. Noel's body was recovered by police last Friday in a bushy area in D'Abadie.
"The police are supposed to protect and serve and look what they do my brother," an emotional sister said. She said since her brother's disappearance their family was struggling to obtain information from police investigators."We not getting any information. The only information we getting is through the newspapers. We just don't want any cover-up," the woman said.
The sister, who wished to remained unidentified, said the last time her family saw Noel was two weeks ago when he left home to visit friends at Maloney Gardens. She said while at a friend's house, four police officers, wearing uniforms and masks, allegedly arrived and arrested Noel."Since then we have not seen him," she said.
While dismissing claims her brother was a criminal and gang member, she said: "He was not a gangster. He never had any money or jewelery or car. He had nothing."She said her family was seeking assistance to pay for Noel's funeral expenses. Police sources said four days after Noel went missing, four police officers–an acting Inspector with more than 23 years' service and three Special Reserve Police (SRPs)–were arrested by homicide detectives.
The acting inspector, from Barataria, was released by police last Friday after his attorneys filed a habeas corpus application in the Port-of-Spain High Court. In ordering the officer's release, Justice Devindra Rampersad ruled it was unlawful to continue the detention as the investigation had not been completed and he had not been charged.
Rampersad's ruling does not prevent the officer being re-arrested on the completion of the investigation. Police sources said the three other officers remained detained up to late yesterday. A post-mortem at the centre yesterday afternoon by forensic pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov showed Noel was shot twice, once in his chest and the other in his head. A slug from one of the bullets was recovered by Alexandrov during the post-mortem.
Investigators said that ballistic testing would be conducted on the slug and on the officers' service guns which were seized by investigators upon their arrest. ACP Wayne Dick, Senior Supt David Abraham and Insp Curt Simon are investigating.