Justice, vigilante-style…
Thief tied to lamp post and beaten to death
-Female resident, brother held
Kaieteur News
July 31, 2004
The life of a would-be burglar came to a brutal end just before 06:00 hrs yesterday after a group of irate North Ruimveldt residents tied him to a lamp-post and beat him to death.
Troy Butcher also known as Troy Kyte of 92 Hunter Street, Albouystown and a former resident of North Ruimveldt died on the parapet of Nutmeg Street a few minutes before police ranks arrived on the scene to take him away.
An eyewitness said Butcher, who was caught breaking into a home, was kicked, stomped upon, ‘broadsided’ with a cutlass that was taken away from him and clobbered with various objects.
The beating, which reportedly lasted for about two hours, left the thief with a broken arm, cuts on the legs, and a gash in the centre of the forehead.
Police subsequently detained a female from Nutmeg Street and her brother in their efforts to round up the residents who meted out the vigilante-style justice to Butcher.
A resident told Kaieteur News that the drama began at around 02:00 hrs when a female resident caught Butcher attempting to enter her home.
According to the resident, the woman raised an alarm, but when her husband came to confront the burglar, Butcher reportedly attacked the man with a cutlass.
The man was forced to retreat, but by then residents who had heard the commotion left their homes and went to investigate.
Sources said that a group of youths overpowered the burglar and proceeded to beat him. The residents then tied him to a nearby lamp post and continued to beat the hapless man.
“They beat he with cutlass, they beat he with belt, with wood, with cord…he get licks for about two hours,” a female resident told Kaieteur News.
Residents said that during the beating, Butcher confessed to committing a burglary last Tuesday near the house that he had attempted to enter.
The occupants of the home told Kaieteur News that burglars had made off with a washing machine, a gas stove, over $100,000 and several household articles.
According to the residents, Butcher claimed that he and an accomplice took the items in a car to a city residence, where they sold the booty for $30,000.
Butcher was still alive when Kaieteur News arrived on the scene at around 05:30 hrs.
However, when police arrived about 30 minutes later and attempted to place the apparently unconscious man in their vehicle, they realised that he had died.
Ranks from the crime scene unit removed pieces of cord that were used to bind Butcher and wood they believed he was beaten with, from the scene.
The slain man’s father, Lando Butcher, and other relatives eventually arrived and positively identified the dead man.
Butcher’s step-mother burst into tears after viewing his body.
None of the relatives denied that Butcher was a criminal. However, they remarked that the residents should have taken the suspect into custody after apprehending him.
“This is murder,” one female resident said.
“Lady, this is North Ruimveldt”, a male resident on a bicycle retorted. “North is a serious place.”
Several residents said they knew Butcher well, since he had grown up in Nutmeg Street, before moving to Albouystown.
Ironically, Butcher died in front of the house in which he had grown up.