Senior citizen Neville Campbell was still sulking yesterday as he recalled how he was forced to stand by helplessly watching his friend, 61-year-old Sharon Cole, being chopped to death inside a shop in Crooked River, Clarendon, Monday afternoon.

Even as news reached the community that the man accused of the gruesome murder, Dwayne Richards, otherwise called Snake, had been captured by the police in Half-Way-Tree in the Corporate Area, Campbell was unable to shake his remorse.

“The lady was right there outside the shop and him give her one chop. When she feel it, she step up in the shop. When she come inside, him gi har another one. Di one weh him gi har at this spot, a it tek off har hand,” Campbell told the Jamaica Observer pointing to the spot inside the small shop.

“When him tek off di hand, him give har one inna her face, and then another one cross way har belly, and she drop right yah suh,” he said, pointing to another spot.

“Me inna di corner and couldn’t come out. If mi did move, him chop me and kill di two a wi. A mi friend still, but mi couldn’t help har,” he said.

“It reflect bad inna mi mind. Is a girl weh a mi friend long time. Mi did waan give him a chop enuh, because mi did have mi cutlass put dung right deh so pon di table,” Campbell said with a further gesture. “She stand up too close to mi, so mi couldn’t move, plus him cutlass long. Mi nuh si where him turn after that.”

Blood stains at the scene served as a vivid reminder of the horror unleashed on the community residents call McDonald, and where, they allege, the accused man — whom they said had been deported from the United States 10 years ago — has been sowing fear.

Owner of the shop, Andrea Hines, shared that Cole, a very close friend of hers, had complained about two months ago that she felt threatened by Richards, with whom she had allegedly had an intimate relationship.

“Everybody was tense and scared. But the police pass through and tell the community that they must not be afraid,” Hines told the Observer.

“She was so loving and so nice. If she pass you 10 times she say hello. She nuh pass and nuh stop at this shop. Him very ignorant. She told me that she told him the relationship was over. She told me that he said he is very jealous, and said she can’t just say it is over and it just go so. When di shopkeeper see di woman drop, she call out ‘Snake! Snake!’ and a dat time him throw chop pon di lady,” Hines said.

“They had a friendly relationship, but I don’t know how deep it was. According to what she said, she never want it go no more deeper,” Hines added.

She said when Cole, who was her friend from childhood, felt threatened by Richards she reported him to the police.

“But the police come and never see him. She never wanted them to arrest him, but just to talk to him and warn him not to come to the house.”

A male resident told the Observer that the killing had shocked the community.

Last evening, Senior Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsay, who is in charge of the Corporate Communications Unit, confirmed Richards’ arrest but did not say whether he had been charged.