He was impatient to welcome his third child. To take him in your arms and hold him to your heart. A child whose face he will unfortunately neither see nor hear. Violently attacked with a knife on Monday, November 27, a few meters from his home, at the NHDC in Bambous, Jovano Gertry, better known as Jovani, aged 30, died four days later.
Stacy Jean, his 26-year-old partner, is inconsolable. Five months pregnant, she explains that she and Jovani had been a couple for eight years. They have two children, a 7 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. Working in construction, Jovani had a dream close to her heart, she said. “We had projects together. We had lived together for eight years. We were going to get married next year, after the birth of our third child,” confides the young mother. This was to be a milestone in their relationship. But overnight, Jovani was taken from them.
According to the young woman, her partner was a loving father who attached great importance to his family. “He spent a lot of time with us when he wasn't working. He was very attached to our children,” she says.
Jerry Gertry, 35, the victim's older brother, still can't get over this sudden disappearance. “He worked as a driver with me in a construction company. We saw each other every day. It’s hard now…” he emphasizes with emotion.
On the day of this bloody attack, he remembers that his brother arrived bleeding. “He held his stomach and told me that he had been stabbed by Dylan, a resident of the neighborhood,” recounts Jerry Gertry. His relatives tourniqueted the wound before taking him to Victoria Hospital, Candos, for treatment. He had been admitted to intensive care.
Unfortunately, Jovani Gertry never woke up. Friday morning, he succumbed to his injuries. The autopsy concluded that the liver had been perforated. The suspect was apprehended by the Bambous Criminal Investigation Division for murder.
“He was killed for a helmet?” We want justice for my brother,” says Jerry Gertry indignantly. But nothing can bring him back to life, while Stacy Jean finds herself with their two children and soon a third. However, she knows that she can count on the support of those close to her during this difficult time. She says she must show resilience to honor the memory of her companion who left far too soon.
