By Denise Clarke, Staff Reporter 
The once bustling Falcon Cottages today stands empty following the robbery of several guests and the killing of a gardener by gunmen last Thursday. - Herbert Mckenis Photo
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE LIVELIHOOD of Prince and Maud Nunes, owners of Falcon Cottages in Negril, has come to an abrupt halt.
Their once bustling resort property has become like a ghost town following the armed robbery of several guests and the shooting death of the gardener last Thursday.
The Nunes' flew from their home in Miami on Thursday, after hearing of the incident. But what greeted them on their arrival was only a shadow of the successful business they ran. Frightened guests have fled and the staff have gone home.
A sombre Mrs. Nunes related what she herself was told of the incident; how gunmen struck not once, but twice in one night, killing Robert Legg, the gardener of 11 years. She remembered her employee as a well-mannered individual, who could be called upon at anytime to give a helping hand.
"He was more than a gardener. He did everything, he was so mannerly. It is heartrending to see him go out like that," she said.
The couple started the business as a small guesthouse in the 1970s and gradually expanded into a 27-room property, boasting amenities such as a restaurant and pool. Mrs. Nunes said this was not the first time guests have been robbed at the property, but it is the first that someone has been physically attacked in such an incident.
"We have been robbed a couple of times," Mrs. Nunes admitted. "Sometimes we store empty bottles and they would steal them and things like that, and about twice guests have been robbed, but nobody has ever got hurt before. This is the first incident like this."
According to the police report, five men armed with guns and machetes entered the establishment and robbed guests of an undetermined sum of money and a number of credit cards. The police say Mr. Legg was shot when he went to investigate the commotion.
But even before that, gunmen had invaded the property earlier that same night, and chopped the security guard in the head. The police were summoned but found nothing suspicious on the property, and left. However, the gunmen had apparently only retreated temporarily, and later returned to finish the job. The second time around, after they had robbed guests in five rooms, Mr. Legg was shot. Neighbours reported hearing a commotion for up to two hours before the shots were fired.
When The Sunday Gleaner visited the property on Friday, a hole cut in the metal fence stood as evidence of where the attackers gained entry. The broken doors and locks were also visible signs of forced entry into some rooms. The Nunes', who just completed extensive refurbishing work to the property, now face the additional cost of carrying out repairs to the damaged rooms.
INCIDENT HAS SPREAD ABROAD
At the time of the incident, 20 of the hotel's 27 rooms were occupied. All but one of the guests have been relocated to other properties, only one opting to stay. Mrs. Nunes did not want to speculate as to when guests would return to the property. The fact that the news of the incident has spread abroad does not help either.
"It has spread all over, people from England called us about it, people from America called us about it. It's really bad, it's bad for us and it's bad for the tourism. This (news) hitting abroad is going to affect everybody," said Mrs. Nunes.
She is pained not only by the death of Mr. Legg, but by having to lay off her 15 employees. She believes the murder might have been prevented, if the police had maintained their presence at the property after the first robbery attempt.
"I think if the police had lingered a little, maybe the man wouldn't have lost his life or so much damage wouldn't have been done. I wasn't here but the people who were here claim that the police did a rotten job," she said.
