Cousin Implicated in Gruesome Murder of Rose Hall Mother and Son

Nearly seven months after family members suggested he could help solve the case, a cousin of Melissa and Anthony Arokium has been charged in connection with their brutal murders.

Quincy Hooper, 33, known as ‘Red Man,’ was remanded on murder charges on Tuesday, September 3, following a brief court appearance.

31-Y-O Melissa Arokium, was discovered hacked to death in her hallway on August 23, 2023, while her eight-year-old son, Anthony, was brutally slain as he slept under a mosquito net.

Initially, police focused their investigation on Melissa’s brother, a neighbor, and her boyfriend. However, Hooper, a former soldier, was detained on Sunday, October 1, after allegedly being found in the house where the murders took place.

CHARGED – Quincy Hooper

Hooper was reportedly in possession of three cutlasses and a ‘Rambo’ knife at the time of his arrest. Family members had alerted the police after Hooper, armed with a cutlass, allegedly chased Melissa’s elder brother, Cerrano Arokium, who had confronted him about his presence at the house.

Relatives stated that Hooper had been laying claim to the property since the murders, raising further suspicions.

Close family members had previously hinted that they suspected Hooper might be involved in the killings due to the brutality of the crime and the absence of a clear motive.

They reported to the police that Hooper had made disturbing comments, including claiming he had a fight with Anthony and beat him badly. Despite these concerns, Hooper was only briefly detained during the early stages of the investigation.

Cerrano Arokium, who works as a cane harvester at Albion Estate, was repeatedly questioned by Major Crimes Unit detectives as they tried to piece together the events leading to the murders.

Police also questioned the victims’ neighbor, Deo Narris, and Melissa’s boyfriend, Shailendra Umrao. Investigators were reportedly awaiting DNA results from items, including a cutlass and clothing, found during their probe.

On the day of the murders, Cerrano, who lived in the same building as his sister, said he left home early for work without seeing Melissa or Anthony.

He later returned home to find his sister’s bicycle in the yard and assumed she had taken Anthony to Georgetown for school supplies. It wasn’t until he received a call from a relative that he learned of the tragic deaths.

The investigation is ongoing, as police work to piece together the full details of this horrifying case.

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