WAKEFIELD, Trelawny – The Trelawny police have given Sylvia Montaque Brown until noon on Tuesday to turn herself in as they continue investigations into her husband’s death. Her brother, 60-year-old gardener Lester “Judge” Montague, was, on Monday, charged with murder in connection with the killing.

“We have moved her from a person of interest to a suspect. We expect her to bring herself in to the police,” commander of the Trelawny Police Division, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Winston Milton told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.

Montaque Brown has not been seen since residents discovered the lifeless, bludgeoned, blood-drenched body of 59-year-old fisherman David Brown in bushes close to their matrimonial home on Saturday morning. The body, which had multiple wounds, was wrapped in a white bed sheet. It was discovered on a sheet of zinc close to the couple’s house.

DSP Milton said the Browns were engaged in a domestic dispute on Friday night; threats were allegedly made during the fracas and Montaque Brown reported the incident to the police. Cops visited the couple’s home in an effort to quell the disturbance.

However, sometime after 7:00 Saturday morning the police were again contacted by residents who reportedly heard a commotion coming from the couple’s house.

Neighbours said the Browns frequently fought.

Like much of the country, the parish has seen its fair share of domestic disputes that have led to loss of life.

For example, in the first quarter of last year the Trelawny police charged Anthony Findley, also known as Boy Blue and Buddy Man, of Clark’s Town with the shooting death of two-year-old Jerome Campbell. This after they responded to a shooting in Mack Hill district, Clark’s Town, about 8:00 pm on Sunday, March 12.

Investigations revealed that Findley and a male cousin were embroiled in a conflict. Findley reportedly left the scene and returned with a firearm, which was used to open fire at his cousin, who was seated in a Honda motor car.

It was reported that the bullets missed the intended target and hit the two-year-old boy who was seated in the rear of the car. He was rushed to Falmouth Public General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Findley fled the scene but was subsequently nabbed by lawmen during a stop-and-search operation in the parish.

During a community meeting that followed the grisly incident, both DSP Milton and Member of Parliament for Trelawny Northern Tova Hamilton appealed to residents to desist from using violence to settle domestic disputes.

David Brown’s killing pushed Trelawny’s murder tally to 24 for 2023, seven fewer than the 31 reported at the end of 2022.