A well established years of friendship for two residents, one of Post Royal and the other of De Blandeau St. Andrew, ended in an early morning murder and attempted suicide last Thursday, a traditional day recognized by Roman Catholics as Corpus Christi. The victim died as a result of a stabbed wound, with a cutlass which most likely punctured her heart.
The friendship for both sixty-four-year-old murdered victim, Joyce Theresa Hagley, who was last employed at the Box Shop Grenville, and Fifty-six-year-old Michael ‘Blackboy’ Noel, father of four, who later allegedly attempted suicide, became know to the surrounding village as they were always seen walking the villages early every morning as a routine morning exercise.
However, the horrible gruesome death of Joyce and the man accused as her assailant sent shock waves throughout post Royal, De Blandeau and surrounding villages.
The incident was able to attract scores of curious villagers who assembled close to the murder scene just to get a glimpse of the victim.
According to relatives of the accused, ‘Blackboy’, who has since been hospitalized with a slit throat, may have never meant to cause harm to Hagley but what ever act he committed that morning after he chipped off was really meant for some one else. Relative said that ‘Blackboy’ who has been suffering from mental ailment since his return from the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, had not had an attack in years and seemed to start coping with the ailment over the appreciation and love being meted out to him by Ms. Hagley.
However, according to a villager, it was noticed that a day prior to the incident ‘Blackboy’s’ behaviour was somewhat unusual and he started showing signs as if he was under attack of the mental ailment, as the villager put it. We were at a funeral in the village and he complained a lot about visiting the doctor and being injected in two fingers. He complained a lot about the withdrawal of all his money from the Credit Union without his permission. His eyes were red as fire and he began to walk backwards.
There I knew, the villager said, that ‘Blackboy’ was getting sick. But the man is cool, quiet and very friendly under normal circumstances. Another villager explain, “when I went to look in the house where the incident occurred there was blood every where. “The victim was seen sitting between the legs of Michael while blood was seen coming from a cut in his throat. “He was trying to remove his wind pipe. He then got up came into the street with a cutlass in his hand and started chasing every one in sight , “Persons had to run for their lives. “We later called the police and as usual they did take some time before they came.” Michael did not collapse but when the police caught him, he was sitting and was looking weak. The doctor later came and Ms. Hagley was pronounce dead.
