A heartbreaking task
Preparing slaughtered family of five for burial painful for funeral home staff, community
Published:Sunday | July 31, 2022 | 12:13 AMOlivia Brown - Sunday Gleaner Writer
To access this article in full please login or register today
Preparing the bodies of a slain mother and her four young children for burial today has been the most difficult task veteran mortician Trevor Witter has faced in his life. It has left him very emotional and heartbroken. “The process was lengthy,...
Preparing the bodies of a slain mother and her four young children for burial today has been the most difficult task veteran mortician Trevor Witter has faced in his life. It has left him very emotional and heartbroken.
“The process was lengthy, with a lot of time spent embalming and sewing up wounds,” the director of Witter and Sons Funeral Home, to whom the funerary arrangements have been entrusted, told The Sunday Gleaner.
“It’s been traumatic for the team because it involves kids, and we’re human. It’s the first we’ve had a [mass] murder like this in the parish that we’ve had to deal with. We had a triple murder back in the ‘90s, but it’s the first we’ve had anything like this,” said Witter.
The bodies of Kemesha Wright, 31, and her four children – Kimanda Smith, 15; Shara-Lee Smith, 11; Rafaella Smith, five; and 23-month-old Keshawn Henry – were found at their Cocoa Piece, Clarendon home on June 21 with multiple stab wounds and their throats slashed.
On Thursday, a post-mortem report revealed chilling details of the murders, for which Wright’s cousin, 23-year-old Rushane Barnett, pleaded guilty.
The report detailed a total of 107 wounds inflicted on the five victims, who will be laid to rest today at the Suttons Cemetery, following a memorial service at the Stuart Hall auditorium at Clarendon College.
Kemesha, the mother, received 48 incised wounds to her neck, chest, abdomen and limb. Her 23-month-old son, Keshawn, suffered 11 incised wounds inclusive of one to the neck. The eldest child, Kimanda, had nine incised wounds and four stab wounds; Shara-Lee received 22 incised wounds and two scratches; and Rafaella had five incised wounds and a gaping wound to the upper neck. The victims died as a result of haemorrhage, shock and multiple sharp force injuries and throat wounds.
Witter said his staff is channelling all available support to the family, adding, “I’m asking the wider public to pray for them because they are going to need strength after this.”
Funeral home worker Angella Archer was among those tasked with grooming the bodies of the children and having them ready by Saturday evening.
It was a task the stepmother to a 15-year-old – the same age as Kimanda – found extremely depressing.
“They’re children and I have children, so it’s gonna take a toll on me to know I have a 15-year-old stepdaughter and a nine-year-old daughter,” Archer told The Sunday Gleaner.
“We’ve buried a lot of kids, but it’s the first time we’ve had this number, and the first time I’m going to be getting them ready. I’ve picked up children’s bodies, but I have never prepared a child.”
She said that the girls will be wearing Afro hairstyles, adorned with golden crowns “just like Miss Jamaica”; while baby Keshawn, a cap lover, will be buried wearing his favourite accessory.
OVERWHELMING SUPPORT
On Friday night, hundreds of mourners gathered at a wake for the family. The jam-packed venue in the northern Clarendon community of Turners was testament to the far-reaching impact of the gruesome tragedy that rocked the nation.
Compounding the family’s grief is the fact that the family patriarch, 81-year-old James Wright, died days after the murder of his granddaughter and great-grandchildren.
Winsome Wright told The Sunday Gleaner that following today’s burial, the family will then focus on the final rites for the elder Wright.
“Mi lose six somebody ‘cause mi father tek it to heart,” Wright said.
“Him keep on a seh, dem kill him grandpikney,” Wright shared, stating that the elderly man spent his last days lamenting the tragedy that befell his family.
Clarendon North Central Member of Parliament Robert Morgan said that amid the gloom, the tragedy has unearthed a spirit of camaraderie.
“The tragedy has really impacted us here, but it has also brought us together as you can see tonight, and saw it at the candlelight service. A lot of persons came out to support the family, and the Government has also played its role in giving support to the family,” said Morgan.
Deputy Superintendent Anton-Gur Cardoza, head of operations of the Clarendon police, told The Sunday Gleaner that they are expecting a throng of mourners today, noting that plans are in place to ensure that the day’s activities flow smoothly.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding are among those set to take part in the funeral service. Minister of Education Fayval Williams and Minister of Youth Olivia Grange will also give tributes.
Late Friday afternoon, freshly laid asphalt and a well-paved road leading to the Suttons Cemetery bore testament to the preparations undertaken, as the community braced itself for an emotional farewell to the much-loved family.