Bloodbath victims buried
by Miranda La Rose
and Kester Morris
The seven victims of the Buxton murders/arson/suicide were yesterday laid to rest following an emotionally-charged funeral service, in a single large tomb in the Buxton Cemetery at Middle Walk, Buxton. Those interred in Buxton were the matriarch of the ill-fated Herod family, Angela Herod, 97; her daughters Shirley Cole-Herod, 60 and Patricia Harris, 58; and her great-children Adele Nandy Herod, 14; Erwin Herod, 14; Jonelle Herod, 11; and Rodel 'Bobby' Herod, seven. Raul Herod, who murdered the other seven in what has become known as the Buxton bloodbath, was interred at Le Repentir Cemetery in Georgetown some hours earlier. Survivor, Jermaine Herod, who escaped his father's murderous onslaught with a bullet in the jaw, did not attend either funeral. The seven murder victims were interred following a moving funeral service held at the century-old St Augustine Anglican Church in the contiguous village of Friendship yesterday afternoon. The officiating priest was Fr Clifton A. Elias. Pastor Desmond Glasgow read the Psalm and the Eulogy was done by Bro Alfred Cockfield. Moving tributes were paid to the older generation of Herods, who were said to be good mothers, and to the children. Angela Herod was remembered as a God-fearing person as were her daughters. Among those paying tributes were representatives of the Mothers' Union and the Perth Burial Society. Teachers of the Buxton Community High School paid tribute to Nandy and Erwin, while teachers of the Buxton Primary School did the same for Jonelle and Bobby. Jonelle was a star pupil who had represented her school at a spelling bee competition, at last year's Children's Mashramani Competition where she had won a prize and she was also an athlete. She had been awaiting the results of the Secondary Schools Entrance Examination. Thousands of mourners from all walks of life and from all parts of the Demerara paid their respects. Among the mourners were Ministerial Adviser on Empowerment, Odinga Lumumba, and PNC General Secretary, Oscar Clarke, who led a delegation. Some residents said that it was probably the largest funeral and gathering that Buxton had witnessed. They said that people began gathering in the shade of the three aged silk cotton trees in the church yard, from as early as noon to get a glimpse of the coffins. The remains of the seven deceased Herods moved off in a convoy led by four police outriders from Sandy's Funeral Parlour, Chapel Street, Lodge, shortly before 1400 hrs and arrived at St Augustine at about 1420 hrs. They were borne in three caskets. The charred remains of the matriarch, her daughters and her great-grand daughter Jonelle were in one coffin, while the remains of Raul Herod's children Nandy and Bobby were in another coffin. Erwin's body, which was not burned in the fire which gutted the family home, was in a coffin by itself. His coffin was sandwiched between the two at the church service and it was the first to enter the church. On arrival at the church, a hush fell on the crowd. As the first body was taken into the church by pall bearers a wailing began. Because of the state of the bodies, the coffins were not opened. However, they bore photographs of the deceased when they were alive. A heavy police presence to maintain crowd control gave the proceedings a touch of a stateliness. The police conducted their tasks professionally, ensuring that the procession moved to get a glimpse of photographs of the deceased without causing confusion. Avril Herod, the mother of Erwin and Jonelle, had to be taken out of the church after she fainted. Angela Herod's daughter Jean Hatton, who had hosted her mother's 97th birthday party the Saturday before her demise also fainted and had to be taken out of the church. Several other female members of the family collapsed and were removed from the church by relatives and friends. Meanwhile, earlier yesterday, at a funeral service which started some minutes after 3:00 pm at Newburg Funeral Parlour, officiating minister, Pastor Ivan John of the Bibleway Church of Agricola, urged those without knowledge of the situation not to sit in judgement of Raul Herod. The minister noted that life is full of trials, tribulations and persecutions and that the role of judge should be left to Jesus, "the eternal judge". He remarked on the nature of human beings to rub salt in open wounds and urged sympathy for Raul Herod's widow, Denise, who spent much of the service in a corner of the parlour overcome by tears. John's fellow minister, Granville Famey made note of the unpredictable nature of life and pointed out that it was not inconceivable that Herod could go to heaven and many who judge him be taken to hell. His exhortation was greeted with loud approval by the 50-odd persons gathered at the parlour. They included Denise's daughter Nicasie John, her mother Patricia Adams, her former colleagues from Securicor, friends, well-wishers and the curious. Raul Herod's funeral lacked the sombre mood of the later ceremony, as many voiced their opinions about Herod's manner of death. Two women approached the coffin and in loud, incoherent voices questioned the nature of the death. Others were more circumspect, including a former colleague of Herod's who pointed out that during his life the former operations supervisor had been capable of great kindness. The unidentified woman recalled that Herod had always been ready to assist his subordinates in need of money and always had a kind word for those around him. She joined those present at the ceremony in wishing the best to the surviving family of Raul Herod, including his nine-year-old son Jermaine, who is currently nursing a gunshot wound to the jaw inflicted by his father. The former colleague also called on the widow to ignore the talk and walk with her head up high. Denise Herod was comforted by supporters who later joined those in attendance in singing Psalms around the closed coffin, including the 23rd Psalm. 
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