Clarks Town, Trelawny – Up to late last night the Trelawny police were busy probing for evidence which they hope will lead to the arrest of the attacker responsible for Saturday night’s grisly murder of Hernel Dias, a 74-year-old butcher of this sugar belt community.

Yesterday, the community was still in state of shock and disbelief as news broke of the brutal slaying.

According to the CCN Officer for Trelawny, about 11:30 Saturday night, Dias was at home when an intruder forcibly entered his house. Dias was attacked and stabbed several times with a knife by his assailant, who managed to escape.

Meanwhile, according to a highly placed Observer source in the community, before Dias succumbed to the multiple stab wounds, he reportedly disclosed that he had used his machete to inflict a wound to the back of his attacker.

The usually reliable informant also revealed that Dias’ house was broken into last week and that his cell phone and other items were stolen.

The vicious attack on the senior citizen has drawn the ire of the entire community.

Fernandez ‘Bingy’ Smith, in whose Sherwood Division the homicide was committed, expressed disgust over the incident.

“He (Dias) has worked very closely with me and it is sad that a man of that honesty and integrity has to lose his life that way. I am calling on the police to apprehend the killer or killers responsible for this crime. This crime mirrors what is happening in the wider society of the wanton disregard of life and property,” Smith said.

“This shows that government’s social intervention strategy programme is not working to solve crime and violence in the wider society. However, I hope that citizens who have any information move swiftly to give any relevant information to the police,” Smith added.