Police have given robbery as the motive for the gruesome killing of Garib Goring in Freeport yesterday but that is being questioned by his relatives who believe jealousy and greed were the reasons for his death.
The 44-year-old father of five and grandfather of four was beaten, tied up, gagged, stabbed and then burnt by the killer who then stole his two-door BT 50 van, ripped a 75-inch flat screen television off the wall in the living room and stole a pair of Prada sneakers from the victim’s bedroom.
Goring’s body was discovered by a neighbour who saw smoke coming from his home located at Bancroft Trace, Arena Road, Freeport just after 10 am yesterday and went to investigate. The neighbour thought Goring was not at home as his van was missing and attempted to enter the burning structure to put out the fire. It was then that he stumbled upon the victim’s remains which had been doused with pitch-oil and set on fire on a mat in a corner of the living room.
Other neighbours were alerted and they rushed to the house to assist. They were able to contain the blaze and keep it from spreading.
When Guardian Media visited the murder scene yesterday, relatives were retrieving Goring’s valuables from the house and a security crew from the T&T Electricity Commission (TTEC) was doing a walk-through of the property to ensure the electricity supply had been safely disconnected.
A female relative, who asked not to be identified, said Goring previously lived in St Joseph but wanted a simple, stress-free life, so he bought a parcel of land at Arena Road two years ago and began gardening. She said Goring worked hard to ensure his family was comfortable.
Relatives claimed Goring got into an argument with a man a few days ago and had ordered him to leave his house. They wondered if this had anything to do with the killing.
Several neighbours said they could not understand who would want to kill Goring.
“The little while we know him, he was a cool fella, never had any baccahanal with anybody,” one of them said.
Another man said: “The man was a good fella. He was a real nice soldier and a nice person to we. We never had an argument or quarrel since he living here. We always close and looking out for each other.”