Almost one week after four members of his family were murdered at their Chatham home, pensioner Patrick Juba says he feels unsafe and wants protection.
"What I need is protection and I am not getting that from the police, from nobody and I am pretty sad," Juba, 79, said in a brief telephone interview yesterday.
The elderly man who found the bodies of his daughter Grace Toussaint, 55, her husband Peter Baptiste, 59, grandson Jeremy Toussaint, 24, and Grace's mother Leena Peters, 75, at their Chatham home last week Thursday, said he was afraid for his life.
Outgoing MP for Point Fortin Paula Gopee-Scoon confirmed that the entire community was now living in fear and all they wanted was closure.
Gopee-Scoon said she had spoken to Minister of National Security Carl Alphonso "to put some pressure for the police to show some interest and attempt to solve these murders.
"I spoke to the minister from the point of view that we really want to see these murders solved because you cannot get closure until the whole thing has been fully exhausted and the perpetrator (s) of the crime is found," she said in an interview.
The only motive for the killing so far surrounds reports that the family was wiped out because of information Jeremy Toussaint passed to the police in their investigations into the death of Stephon Sinnette.
Gopee-Scoon said Jeremy Toussaint was warned by his family not to divulge any information to the police but his compunction to do the right thing cost him not only his life but that of his grandmother, mother and stepfather.
"His family warned him not to talk. There were others who knew about the murder (of Sinnette) and they did not talk. He (Jeremy) did and look at the end result of it."
Even now, she said, names of people were quietly being called in connection with the quadruple murders but this time around no one was coming forward to assist the police in their investigations.
Autopsies conducted on the bodies last Friday revealed that Toussaint was shot twice on the chin and left side of her breast. Her husband, Peter, was shot once to the back of his ear, her son, Jeremy, once to the forehead, while her mother, Leena, who sources say pleaded for her life, was shot three times, to her chin, neck and shoulder.
Gopee-Scoon expressed concern that there seem to be a "leak" in the Police Service.
"There seems to be a leak. If you can't trust the police... then.... this whole thing is very disconcerting and there is nothing you could do about it. Even if I call the minister to put pressure he still has to allow the police to do their work, so you really have to rely on the police," she added.
Gopee-Scoon is acting as a liaison with Juba's relatives and the Ministry of the People to get assistance for their burial.
She said she was awaiting certain documents from family members, including death certificates and NIS certificates to work out the cost of the funeral expenses.
She said other relatives who were abroad were expected to arrive for the funeral of the four, which has tentatively been set for Monday at 10 am at the Open Bible Church, Point Fortin.
