Pure hatred led pastor Vishnu “Kitty” Lutchmansingh, 56, to take his own life after he killed his younger brother Kishan Lutchmansingh, 44, members of his family say. Speaking with the media outside the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, the nephew of both men, Amos Dadbahal, said it was “total hatred” fuelled by a misunderstanding, then a reaction that led to the murder-suicide on Monday.
He debunked speculation that the killing was over land, saying it stemmed from a quarrel over an access road leading to lands owned by the family. He said Lutchmansingh blocked the access road and when he was asked to remove the barrier he refused. The younger Lutchmansingh left to make a police report on the incident and when he returned to the area he was shot dead, Dadbahal said.
“A simple request to pass and a retaliation, an answer like this was given, which in no form or fashion is necessary at all, to take someone’s life. The family totally break down right now,” Dadbahal said. Asked if the pastor had ever shown signs of violence, he said Lutchmansingh was always like that. “I never know him different from that. I never knew him to be anything else but a violent person,” he said.
“It had days he vex and days he good. We didn’t know how to predict him. He was good to others and bad to others but we never expect him to resort to this. He never pointed any gun at anyone. He did say his stupidness in the past but no one ever took him on.”
Contacted after he had returned home, Dadbahal said his uncle, the former head preacher at the Faith Sanctuary Family Ministries at the Old Southern Main Road, Cunupia, had often threatened to kill his family in the past but the threats were never taken seriously. But he said the family was still in shock and trying to come to terms with the loss. “Your own blood, your own family?” he asked.
Noting that both brothers will now never see their three children married, he said whatever evil anyone believed in was what overtook his uncle and compelled him to do what he did. Earlier at the Forensic Science Centre, relatives of both men seemed at odds with each other as both the killer’s relatives and relatives of his victim kept to themselves.
Dadbahal said the younger Lutchmansingh, a father of three and contractor who worked as a farmer, sought to mend the broken family ties about three days ago when he called for unity among himself and his nine siblings. He said the unity was within their grasp as the entire family agreed. Dadbahal’s aunt and the sister of the deceased men, Cindy Lutchmansingh-Ramoutar, described the younger Lutchmansingh as a wonderful man who was kind to anyone in need and the backbone of the family.
According to police reports, shortly after 10 am on Monday, Lutchmansingh’s brother Kishan and his three friends went to his garden near his Cunupia home. The men heard several gunshots and when they checked they saw Lutchmansingh shooting at the tyres and windshield of Kishan’s silver Nissan Almera. The three men ran away, leaving Kishan behind.
Lutchmansingh reportedly walked up to his brother and shot him once in the head. As he collapsed in the field, Lutchmansingh shot him several times in his chest. Lutchmansingh then returned to his car and drove to his house at Savatri Extension Road, Las Lomas No 1. While en route he saw his nephew Timothy Janitan, also of David Toby Trace, Cunupia, walking towards his home and drove his Nissan Wingroad station wagon into him.