Two men are dead and the small village of Lucky Strike is divided tonight after a shocking murder – suicide. 43 year old Terrence Herbert shot and killed 28 year old Jermaine Jones in Lucky Strike this afternoon; thirty minutes later he killed himself. Two tragedies but one story and Keith Swift has it.
Keith Swift Reporting,
When 7NEWS arrived on the scene at 2pm, 28 year old Jermaine Jones’ body was still lying in the middle of the Old Northern Highway with his bike next to him. He had been killed with a single bullet to the head allegedly by this man – Terrence Herbert whose dead body was lying in his yard – about 2 and a half miles away. He too had a fatal bullet to the head. His though was self-inflicted.
Two dead bodies in one ugly afternoon which began in front of Eladio Che’s home around midday.
Eladia Che, Witness
“The only thing I heard was one
gunshot, only that I heard was one gunshot. Only that I heard and I ran so because I said I didn’t want problem. Only one gunshot I heard, only that I heard. Two little girls came and told me a fighting was going on out there so I didn’t pay it no mind. I was fixing something for her to drink so when I came inside I heard one gunshot so I wasn’t going to go outside. Only one gunshot I heard. Only that I heard.”
Keith Swift,
And when you came out what did you see?
Eladia Che,
“I saw the boy laying down on the road.”
But Eladia Che was more than just a witness – the two men were arguing over her. Terrance Herbert is her long time boyfriend and threatened to kill
her because of the relationship he believed she was having with Jermaine Jones.
Eladia Che,
“Me and him weren’t together but he was jealous that I was with him but I wasn’t with him.”
Keith Swift,
So the other guy Terrence Herbert.
Eladia Che,
“I was with him, this is his daughter.”
Keith Swift,
So the fight was over you?
Eladia Che,
“Well I can’t say if it was over me, I don’t know the situation and what they had. I don’t know the situation. My daughter’s father came here last night and he told me, I saw the gun in his truck and I told him that I heard he wanted to kill me and I told him that I won’t go with him because I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors that he wanted to kill me and my baby and that bwoy but I told him I was not with that boy so why do you want to kill me.”
Jermaine’s mom is Lorna Jones. When she arrived on the scene – her first born son was already dead.
Lorna Jones, Jermaine Jones’ Mother
“I wasn’t here but when I came I saw him down there. I was calling his name and he didn’t respond. He was already dead when I came here. I don’t know how true it is but I get to understand that he had a woman that he is involved with and the girl had another man and he had a death threat that this guy said he would kill him and then kill himself and that is exactly what happened.”
Allan Jones, Knew Jermaine
“I own a shop at the village and every evening he would come in and mention to me if I didn’t hear the news that the man wanted to kill him but I took it as joke myself, I jinxed him myself and I guess he was taking it joke also until he met his death today.”
And after killing Jermaine Jones, Terrance Herbert rode home with his 16 gauge
shotgun in his hand and met his mom Dora Herbert.
Dora Herbert, Terrence Herbert’s Mom
“I went to him by his house and I asked him what he did and that I had been talking to him about it for a long time and he won’t part with God. He said he doesn’t care what happened because he had already made up his mind already and his brother came and took away the gun.”
Elvis Gotoy, Terrence Herbert’s Brother
“I went and I grabbed the gun from behind him because he had it slinged across his shoulder. He said Elvis don’t try to do anything to me, don’t try to take away my gun. I said Terrence I have to take away this gun and I put force on him and I end up, because the gun has a gun which was hard to bust, I managed to bust the strap of the gun and so some next young boys came and tried to help too but I had already bust the strap so I wrenched the gun from him.
I went and I shoved the gun underneath some things and I heard the first gunshot went off. So at that time Leroy hollered and told me that that man went for another gun. So I shoved the gun in the bush and I jumped out and by the time I reached and I tried to run because I said I will go and try to do something about that but by the time I reached at the yard I just saw when the man put the gun to his head in the back there and I saw when the man dropped. I was too late to reach.”
Terrance Herbert was killed instantly. It is a double tragedy that has torn these two families and this small village apart.
Dora Herbert,
“It’s really hard, it is hard. I can’t take it. Only God is strengthening me right now.”
Keith Swift,
What do you say to the mother of the young man that your son killed?
Dora Herbert,
“Well I haven’t seen the lady but I asked her daughter how her
mother took it…that is all I could say. I can’t say nothing.”
Winston Herbert, Terrence Herbert’s Father
“To be truthful it is very hard. I was expecting this but didn’t know it would come this time and this quick. As I told you before he was a very stubborn headed man and I couldn’t tell him anything but it is very hard on the family.”
Eladia Che,
“It is rough for me, I feel it because her father died. Her father died too. Why did he have to go and do the man that, I didn’t know nothing that was happening and now all the sisters are against me and they want to come and do me things. I can’t blame myself because I don’t know the situation that was happening. I didn’t know the situation. I can’t say it is because of me because I didn’t know nothing.”
Keith Swift,
What do you tell your daughter?
Eladia Che,
“Your daddy dead, that’s what I told her. I can’t afford it now, only that I could tell her.”
Winston Herbert,
“You know that at times I would say that whenever you are not walking with the Lord, Satan is just behind pushing and pushing and pushing and get you all wrapped up in his cloth and I know that if he was a man as I do tell him about the love of God, this wouldn’t happen but they don’t take this God’s life serious.”
And that is about the best explanation villagers will be able to tell the children who looked with wondering eyes on today’s double death.
We stress that Terrence Herbert’s brother says he took away Terrence’s licensed 16 gauge shotgun from him and that Terrence then killed himself with another 16 gauge shotgun. Both bodies are at the Belize City morgue and police are still investigating. Jermaine Jones was a laborer and was killed while on his lunch break. Terrence Herbert was a farmer.
