Tweet
Principal slain - Thugs slash throat - Was Crown witness in murder case
published: Tuesday | August 23, 2005
Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer
THE BLOODSTAINED books inside the library and a trail of blood which ran from the room to the main corridor of Boscobel Primary School told a chilling tale of the last moments of principal Manning Marsh who was killed yesterday.
The 56-year-old headmaster, who was a resident of Three Hills district in St. Mary, was found in a pool of blood on the main corridor of the school. He had been principal since 1980.
He was reportedly attacked shortly after 12:30 p.m. inside the school library where he had been conducting registration for the new school year. According to police reports, Mr. Marsh's throat had been slashed and he had what appeared to be a stab wound to the neck.
CROWN WITNESS
Residents said that Mr. Marsh's involvement as a Crown witness in a murder case may have been the reason that he was killed. Residents reported they heard a noise coming from the school shortly after 12:30 p.m., and then saw two men running from the building. Shortly after, they saw Mr. Marsh fall to the floor. However, when they went to his assistance they discovered that he was already dead.
The police, who were called to the scene immediately, organised a search of the area for the killers but up to news time, the search had been unsuccessful.
In the meantime, the community of Boscobel has been plunged into a state of shock at Marsh's murder.
When word of Mr. Marsh's killing reached members of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) at their annual conference in Ocho Rios, a pall of gloom overshadowed proceedings.
Former JTA President Wentworth Gabbidon said the killing was a great shock to all teachers.
"There are people in this country who are cursing off the teachers, saying that they are not giving value for money, but this man was on holiday and could be elsewhere enjoying himself. Instead, he chose to be at school and was killed for his dedication," Gabbidon said.
Meanwhile, residents of Boscobel claim that Mr. Marsh had been getting several death threats, through letters and telephone calls, which he had reported to the police. They claim that his life could have been saved if the police had acted expeditiously.
Angela McTaggart, the Constabulary Communication Network's liaison officer for St. Mary, confirmed that Mr. Marsh had been a Crown witness in a murder case.
JURY DISMISSED
"The case had begun in 2002, and the empanelled jury had almost reached a verdict when a juror was approached by someone who wanted to offer a payment of some kind. The court was informed, and the judge dismissed the jury, and had planned to restart the case," said the police spokesperson. "That did not happen during the last session of the Circuit Court in St. Mary, because the investigating officer had been overseas on vacation leave."
The accused is currently in custody in relation to that murder case.
When The Gleaner visited the Boscobel Primary School yesterday, a teary-eyed vice-principal of the school, Felories Johnson-Mighty, struggled to find words to describe the killing and its likely effects on the start of the new school year.
"We are all traumatised by this brutal act of murder. Mr. Marsh was an easy-going person who tried not to offend anyone and I do not know why he should receive this awful death," she said.
published: Tuesday | August 23, 2005
Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer
THE BLOODSTAINED books inside the library and a trail of blood which ran from the room to the main corridor of Boscobel Primary School told a chilling tale of the last moments of principal Manning Marsh who was killed yesterday.
The 56-year-old headmaster, who was a resident of Three Hills district in St. Mary, was found in a pool of blood on the main corridor of the school. He had been principal since 1980.
He was reportedly attacked shortly after 12:30 p.m. inside the school library where he had been conducting registration for the new school year. According to police reports, Mr. Marsh's throat had been slashed and he had what appeared to be a stab wound to the neck.
CROWN WITNESS
Residents said that Mr. Marsh's involvement as a Crown witness in a murder case may have been the reason that he was killed. Residents reported they heard a noise coming from the school shortly after 12:30 p.m., and then saw two men running from the building. Shortly after, they saw Mr. Marsh fall to the floor. However, when they went to his assistance they discovered that he was already dead.
The police, who were called to the scene immediately, organised a search of the area for the killers but up to news time, the search had been unsuccessful.
In the meantime, the community of Boscobel has been plunged into a state of shock at Marsh's murder.
When word of Mr. Marsh's killing reached members of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) at their annual conference in Ocho Rios, a pall of gloom overshadowed proceedings.
Former JTA President Wentworth Gabbidon said the killing was a great shock to all teachers.
"There are people in this country who are cursing off the teachers, saying that they are not giving value for money, but this man was on holiday and could be elsewhere enjoying himself. Instead, he chose to be at school and was killed for his dedication," Gabbidon said.
Meanwhile, residents of Boscobel claim that Mr. Marsh had been getting several death threats, through letters and telephone calls, which he had reported to the police. They claim that his life could have been saved if the police had acted expeditiously.
Angela McTaggart, the Constabulary Communication Network's liaison officer for St. Mary, confirmed that Mr. Marsh had been a Crown witness in a murder case.
JURY DISMISSED
"The case had begun in 2002, and the empanelled jury had almost reached a verdict when a juror was approached by someone who wanted to offer a payment of some kind. The court was informed, and the judge dismissed the jury, and had planned to restart the case," said the police spokesperson. "That did not happen during the last session of the Circuit Court in St. Mary, because the investigating officer had been overseas on vacation leave."
The accused is currently in custody in relation to that murder case.
When The Gleaner visited the Boscobel Primary School yesterday, a teary-eyed vice-principal of the school, Felories Johnson-Mighty, struggled to find words to describe the killing and its likely effects on the start of the new school year.
"We are all traumatised by this brutal act of murder. Mr. Marsh was an easy-going person who tried not to offend anyone and I do not know why he should receive this awful death," she said.
Comment