'It's like somebody has torn my heart out of my chest'

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

SCARLETT HALL, St Ann — Residents of the usually quiet community of Scarlett Hall in Runaway Bay, St Ann, were yesterday still trying to come to grips with the brutal murder of seven-year-old Delano Greenwood.

Delano's body was found in bushes near his Scarlett Meadows home in the community, shortly after 2:00 pm Sunday with its throat slashed. His father and another relative stumbled upon his body when they went to search for him after he went missing.

Senior Superintendent of police in charge of St Ann, Carlton Wilson, told the Observer yesterday that a 13-year-old boy, who was taken into custody in relation to the incident, was questioned by investigators.

Police took the teen into custody Sunday afternoon shortly after the gruesome discovery. He was allegedly playing with Delano when he went missing.

"It hurts, it's hard ... I just can't keep it back," Delano's father, Trevor Greenwood, told the Observer yesterday as tears streamed down his face.

"It's hard to lose my baby that I have been working so hard and so long for... he has been with me since he was four years old," said Greenwood, a musician.

"It's like somebody has torn my heart out of my chest," added the senior Greenland as he recalled how disciplined and well mannered his last child was.

Delano, he said, was involved in music.

This was attested to by his teacher at Hoolebury Primary, Raquel Johnson, who said Delano was able to creatively put a musical twist to the day's lessons.

"If I come with a song or poem, a jingle of that sort, something to enhance my lesson, Delano will always put a twist to that and then somehow the students will gravitate towards his twist," she said of the child who 'sang and rapped' a lot.

Johnson said Delano was a very helpful and loving and a child who was always willing to take on new tasks.

Principal of the school, Desland Pennant, said the tragic incident has affected the children emotionally. However, he said counselling sessions were continuing for students, especially Delano's classmates and the teaching staff.

Yesterday, counsellors from the Ministry of Education Region III Guidance and Counselling Department and the Northgate Youth and Family Development Foundation visited the school.

"We did sessions with the two sisters of the alleged assailant and we will be making referral for further intervention, we also did a session with the father of Delano and we have his contact for continued counselling and support," Allison Cooke-Hawthorne, guidance and counselling education officer at the education ministry, told the Observer.

"We are here for both the victim's family and the alleged assailant's family, because they are going to need our support also," she added, pointing out that counselling would continue and that an assessment would be done after the boy's funeral to determine if students require further intervention.

Meanwhile, the school said it would discuss the impact the incident has had on the students during a Parent/Teachers' Association meeting planned for this afternoon.

Guidance counsellor at the school Celia Chunnu said a seedling will be planted in the school's peace garden in honour of Delano. A candlelighting will take place during tomorrow's general devotion.

Chunnu said the school would also play some of the senior Greenwood's music as it seeks to promote peace and love in the community.

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Teen killed for laughing at man who fell from bicycle

'It's like somebody has torn my heart out of my chest'