PORT MARIA, St. Mary:
THE ST. Mary police are investigating their second double murder in three weeks after the bodies of 65-year-old Mavis Grant and her 70-year-old husband, Benjamin, both of Quebec, Islington, were discovered at their home yesterday morning with gunshot wounds to their heads and lower bodies.
Residents of the area say they heard the Grants crying for help sometime after 1:00 a.m., then several explosions were heard. On investigating, they found the bodies of Benjamin inside the house, and his wife outside, both lying in pools of blood.
The Port Maria police have not yet established any motive for the killings but have linked it to several others committed in the parish recently.
Five spent shells and two live rounds were taken from the scene.
Monday's double murder is the fifth in 19 days and brings the number of persons murdered in the parish to 16 since the start of the year.
On August 1, 65-year-old retired teacher Evelyn Powell, and her step-father Simon Harris, 85, of Main Street in Port Maria, were found dead at their home. Both persons had their throats slit.
Meanwhile, the police have expressed concern about the high rate of murders being committed in the parish; according to the lawmen, they were investigating 14 murders at the corresponding period last year.
