Hundreds attending wake for victims of Clarendon massacre

Hundreds of well-wishers are gathering in Turner's district in Clarendon for Friday evening's wake for the victims of the Clarendon massacre. 

The ritual is being held at Mr Cash Multi-Purpose complex near the New Road, Cocoa Piece home where Kemesha Wright and her four children were slaughtered by a relative who has since confessed to the murders. 

The funeral for the five is scheduled for July 31 at 11 a.m.,  at the Stuart Hall auditorium at Clarendon College. Burial will follow at the Suttons cemetery. 

A broken utility pole disrupted the early start to the wake. 

Late Friday afternoon, freshly laid asphalt and a well-paved road leading to the cemetery bore testament to the preparations undertaken, as the community prepares to say a final goodbye to 31-year-old Kemesha Wright and her children, Kimanda Smith, 15; Shara-Lee Smith, 11; Rafaella Smith, five; and 23-month-old Kishawn Henry Jr.

Stevil Bennett says he is still in shock over the slaying of his niece and the children, especially at the hands of a relative he said he took into his home and treated as his own.

"It's very tragic.  I'm lost for words. I've never seen anything like this," Bennett told The Gleaner, as he looked on despondently at the pink and white sectioned grave which was made up of four vaults. Wright will be buried with her youngest child. 

Bennett and two other men added final touches to the grave. 

Bennett said Rushane 'Jet'  Barnett, the now convicted murderer, spent two weeks in his home. 

"He's very mannerly; he spoke to everybody.  If him pass you five, six times him say 'hi'. He was such a nice person. He got me...him fool mi...him fool mi, because mi tek him as me own. I give him everything.  Him never want nothing. Mi never know him have dem ting deh in a him mind,"

Bennett said Barnett deserves a harsh punishment, but he will refrain from disclosing publicly, the punishment that would suffice for the cold-blooded crime he committed. 

Community artist Jermaine Brown was among the group working on the graves.

Brown, who said he does all the murals in his community, cited the tomb projects as the most heartbreaking.

The artist, also a bus operator, said the task is especially hard since he shared a close relationship with Wright. He asserted that he was her preferred driver. 

"You see if [she] did a troublemaker, mi would a say bwoy...it really tough," he said as he struggled to find words. 

- Olivia Brown

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