Tonight, a 38-year-old man from Hopkins is dead - slashed to the throat by a man he called his friend.
It's a shocking Holy Thursday murder that ended the life of a village hustler and self-proclaimed "sweet man," who was undone by his love of entertaining.
Cherisse Halsall headed to Hopkins this morning to find out more, here's that story.
This is the home that 38-Year old Francis Augustine found himself escaping from this morning when he was stabbed by a friend in his own bedroom.
He was trying to get away from his attacker by hiding in his cousin's house but he never got inside because after hearing the sounds of the attack she was too terrified to open the door.
Voice Of: Francis Augustine's Cousin
"So this morning usually when he has his friends upstairs I would hear them when they are partying because he loved to have friends around him and partying. So, um this morning after my boyfriend went to work I heard banging on the window and it was him but he wouldn't be banging and hollering for me in a loud tone like that."
But she says Francis never said anything intelligible and behind his screams she could still hear the whispering of his assailants. Her only strategy was to hide in the bathroom and call the police.
Voice Of: Francis Augustine's Cousin
"Francis banged on the window he woke up the 2-year-old child and I told him go back and sleep shh[whispers]. So the baby was still in there talking and I told him to go back inside and sleep and he said Uncle is hailing you mom, I told him Uncle already went to sleep. He gone da shop he will bring snacks for you. So, it just left me traumatized and frightened and even scared to go to the police station because like what I told the police because I didn't hear nothing because usually I would hear but I didn't hear to be honest I didn't hear."
And Augustine's loss is one that will affect this woman and her kids because he had become an everyday part of their lives.
Voice Of: Francis Augustine's Cousin
"He is my cousin, I didn't get to meet him until I moved to Hopkins. He was close to me and my kids like every morning he came and he comes for his warm cup of tea or Coffee, chocolate or fever Grass and he stayed here and played with the kids and also goes to the shop and brings cigarettes because I would smoke cigarettes with him. Yeah, we smoke our cigarettes, he brings snacks for the kids and things. So, we go through our ups and downs and he would come I might not smile at him but he would still play with the kids."
But those mostly-happy relationships came to a tragic end this morning as Augustine made a desperate dash to save his own life. His cousin says that unfortunate as it is she had to choose between her love for him and the safety of her children.
Voice Of: Francis Augustine's Cousin
"I didn't hear when he jumped through the window it's when the police they came because they even wanted to know if it was right there he got stabbed. That was my question too, if he had been stabbed right there but the police said it looked like it started from upstairs. So, when I saw him down there all that I could do was bawl."
Information to 7News is that Augustine's assailant has been detained and remains in police custody.
We will keep following this story.
