A 73-YEAR-old man being questioned in the killing of 68-year-old Myrna Sahibram at her home on Monday became depressed after retiring last year, relatives said.

However, the man never showed signs of being violent, and the attack on Sahibram, of Grant's Trace, Rousillac, came as a shock to everyone, the Express was told.

Sahibram, a retired schoolteacher and mother of four, was beaten to death with a piece of wood while lying on a living room couch with her Bible.

Her body was found by her daughter Lystra Lall around 2.45 p.m.

The dead woman's son, Tony Sahibram, said the suspect first showed signs of depression last July after he retired as a maxi-taxi driver.

The suspect worked with the School Transport division of the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) and was honoured recently with a long-service award by the Cedros Composite School for 21 years of service.

He was also depressed because his house was earmarked for demolition to allow for the construction of the highway from Golconda to Point Fortin.

Tony Sahibram said, "He said he did not want to move. He said he was too old to build another house. He took so many years to build that home, and every time he saw something about the highway on the news, he would get frustrated."

Sahibram said the relative was an outpatient of the clinic at the La Brea Health Centre and had seen several doctors recently for his depression.

He said the relative confessed to him after the attack.

"He called me and said, 'I just killed your mom.' I asked him about three times and he said, 'Yes, I just killed her.' He knew what he did, but he did not understand the consequences."

He said the relative had never shown violent tendencies before the attack.

"Nobody saw this coming. They are good people. This is a real shock and trauma to the family," the son said.

The suspect was yesterday under police guard at the San Fernando General Hospital.

Pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov found Myrna Sahibram died from blunt trauma to her head.

The dead woman's sister-in-law, Rajcoomarie Sahibram, said the deceased would often take the suspect to church.

"She used to tell her children that it had a devil in the house. She used to pray. She was lying down with her Bible when he attacked her."