A traumatised Cathy-Ann Felician-James, the estranged wife of PC Sean James, was in a state of confusion yesterday over the apparent murder/suicide in which her husband killed his lover, 47-year-old secretary Donna Noel, and then himself.
After hearing her husband had killed himself, added shock came for Felician-James as several friends and relatives called believing she had been killed when initial media reports stated the officer had killed his ’wife’.
James, 41, was described by Felician-James as a quiet, calm, fun loving person. She said she could not have seen him snapping in the manner he did on Wednesday.
Police reports are that James, who was attached to the Besson Street Police Station, had an argument with Noel at the office of Dr Wahid Mohammed, where Noel worked, before he shot her in the head. He then shot himself in the head and died later at hospital.
James, an officer for the past 19 years in the Police Service, had two daughters, aged 17 and eight.
’God alone knows what caused him to do it,’ said Felician-James at the family’s Tacarigua home yesterday. Felician-James is the mother of James’s younger daughter.
Although it was said Noel and James had shared an apartment in D’Abadie for over a year, Felician-James stated she did not know Noel or the status of her relationship with her husband.
She stated that the police officer, despite moving out, regularly came to the home.
’It come as if we wasn’t separated, he was always here, to see his daughter, to feed the dogs,’ said Felician-James.
The doctor’s Eastern Main Road office remained closed yesterday and according to a notice on the door, is set to reopen on August 13. Investigating officers stated there were no witnesses to the incident.
Attempts to contact Dr Mohammed yesterday were unsuccessful. The Express was also unable to contact the relatives of Noel yesterday.
In recent years there have been several murder/suicides involving members of the protective services.
Last year, at the Royal Castle Outlet mere metres away from where James and Noel died, Ricardo Jason Duncan, 32, a precepted security officer killed his ex-girlfriend of several years, Adwoa Nefertiti Grant, 25, then himself.
In March 2007, Ronald Gonzales, a 40-year old security guard with Telecom Security shot and killed his wife Avalyn Isaac-Gonzales, 34, an MTS guard with his service revolver.
Back in March 1999, special reserve police Eric George, famed for his one man war against drug trafficking, shot and killed his wife Tara George before taking his own life. Also in 1999, Lance Corporal Anthony Caesar killed himself after he shot dead his commanding officer Noel Penco and attempted to murder his former lover Heather Wiltshire at the Prime Minister’s residence.
The funeral for PC James will take place on Saturday at the Our Lady of the Luz Church in Tacarigua. Investigations into the incident are continuing.
