Man who stabbed woman in church yard succumbs to poison ingestion

Hospitalized Sheria Khalil and dead Clifton Richmond 

Twenty-Four-Year old Clifton Richmond called ‘Steve’ died this morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital, reportedly from a poisonous substance, he consumed on Thursday evening before jumping into the Demerara River.

Richmond according to a police statement which was issued on Friday, stabbed his reputed wife, 22-year-old Sheria Khalil called ‘Sherry’ in the compound of the Elim Christian Fellowship Church, Timehri Public Road.

The police in their statement have indicated that the woman, a bank teller and the man a minibus conductor lived together at Timehri with the parents of the woman. ‘On the day of the incident, the two made plans to meet up at the woman’s place of work, however, on his arrival the woman was not there.’ The police statement related on Friday.

The woman later went home and was confronted by Richmond which resulted in an argument and it was at that point that he picked the woman up and ran with her into the churchyard. Family members heard the woman’s screams and rushed to investigate what was taking place but found her bleeding with a suspected stab wound to the left side neck.

‘The suspect then allegedly drank a poisonous substance and jumped into the Demerara River. He was subsequently rescued in an unconscious state’ the statement on Friday added. Both the victim and suspect were escorted to the Diamond Diagnostics Centre where they received medical attention. The woman was then transferred to the GPHC for surgery. Their conditions are said to be critical but stable.

A knife and a bottle with suspected poison were retrieved from the crime scene and lodged at the station.