OCHO RIOS, St Ann – Three people, including a retired watchman, were killed violently in St Ann over the weekend.

The retired watchman, William Henry, 77, of Greenwich Acres in Steer Town, was found dead in his bedroom at around 2:15 pm Saturday. He lived with his grandson and his (grandson’s) wife and children.

The police said family members had all retired to bed at around 11:00 Friday night and early the next morning Henry’s grandson left for work and returned shortly after 2:00. It was then that he reportedly discovered his grandfather’s body in his room, with wounds to the face and a stab wound to the neck.

A resident who lives on the same street where the incident occurred told the Observer that Henry was discovered in bed, lying on his back with a pillow over his face and what appeared to be a stab wound to the neck.

Henry was pronounced dead at the scene and the body removed for post-mortem.

The St Ann’s Bay police have since taken the man’s grandson and his wife into custody for questioning.

The other weekend murder victims were identified as Gregory Laroque, 26, unemployed, of Exchange district, and Basil Taylor, 48, a labourer of Steer Town.

Laroque, the police said, was among a group of men walking along Main Street in Ocho Rios at about 3:45 Sunday morning when they were attacked by three knife-wielding men. Laroque received stab wounds to the region of his chest and was taken to the St Ann’s Bay hospital where he was pronounced dead. It is unclear if anyone else was injured in the attack.

The attackers sped off in a waiting motor car, police said.

In the other incident, Taylor, who was said to have a long-standing dispute with family members over land, allegedly armed himself with a machete and demanded that other members of the family vacate the land. A dispute developed during which Taylor’s son allegedly stabbed his father in the region of his neck and back.

He was taken to the St Ann’s Bay hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The police have since detained the younger Taylor in relation to the incident.