Glenroy Sinclair, Senior Crime Reporter

A wave of emotion gripped the tiny district of Mount Lebanus in Western St. Thomas on Friday. Several grown women grasped their stomach and wept uncontrollably after looking at the remains of 42-year-old Veronica Murray.

The domestic helper's body was stabbed and chopped several times, while her throat was slashed and her head poked into a pot of hot milk, by her children's father. Reports are that the incident occurred in the presence of her two young children, who cried nonstop while watching their mother being murdered.

Neighbours heard Ms. Murray screaming out at the top of voice, crying for help, but by the time they ran to her rescue, it was too late. Her partially nude body was discovered in the bloody one- bedroom board house.

Open emotion

"Some of the women who came to look at the body threw themselves to the ground and wept aloud," said a police investigator who visited the scene yesterday.

Reports reaching The Gleaner are that Ms. Murray wanted to end the over six -year relationship with her children's father, but he insisted on holding on. According to the police, about two weeks ago Ms. Murray had reported her children's father to the police.

He was arrested and charged with assault and attempted rape. He received station bail and was supposed to appear in court next week. This is the second incident over the past four days where a woman has been killed by her ex-spouse in St. Thomas.

On Tuesday morning, 23 year-old Dalianne Dixon was found dead at her home in Leith Hall, St. Thomas.

The Major Investigation Task Force is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of a teenager at Elliot Avenue, Kingston 8 on Friday.

Prelminary investigations suggested that she was strangled. The incident occurred four weeks after she was threatened by one of her ex-lovers.

At least 132 women have been murdered since January. Jealousy has been the motive in a number of the cases, where the women or men have been viciously killed.