By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 23rd March 2018) – It is often expressed that a mother having to bury her child is one of the most unnatural and difficult happenings in life.
Desiree Elliott recently got a double dose of that heartbreaking reality for the burial of her two murdered daughters 19-year-old Naomi ‘Hopey’ Finch and 20-year-old Jimmyliah ‘Sunshine’ Finch of Keys Village.
Last Friday afternoon (16th March), hundreds of family members, friends and other mourners filled the seats of the St. George’s Anglican Church in Basseterre where they remembered and honoured the lives of the deceased sisters in a ceremony dubbed to be a Thanksgiving Service followed by burial at the Springfield cemetery.
The officiating ministers were Archdeacon Isaiah E. Phillip and Rev. Dr. Eustace Rawlings.
Notably, attendees were also gathered in the church yard to give their good-byes to the sisters murdered in their community on Thursday 1st March. Additionally, scores of people assembled along Cayon Street.
That day, many eyes were glued on the grief-stricken mother flanked by loved ones at her side.
She wore a navy blue broad- brimmed hat and a navy blue dress with white polka dots. Pinned on her dress was button with the faces of her daughters, images also used on the cover of the funeral booklet.
Visibly distraught with teary eyes, following the church service, she was escorted to her seat in the passenger side of a hearse which carried the coffin of the younger daughter Naomi.
“Somebody shoulda squeeze in there to go with her,” was one of the sentiments expressed by a female bystander on the road side while another individual speaking to her friend told: “Lawd, a feel it for Desiree.”
In the tribute section of the funeral booklet, Elliott says she is not ready to let go of her girls.
“I wish I could tell you I’m not ready to let you go but you’ve already departed and my heart is feeling so low,” the grieving mom said in part.
She talks about missing her daughters’ physical qualities and characteristics like the “twinkle” in their eyes and sound of their voices and laughter before adding “but most of all I miss the way you made me feel like nothing could ever harm me because your love was so strong and real.”
Elliott ended her tribute wishing her deceased daughters eternal peace.
“There are others here who miss you and they’ve gathered here today. Your life touched so many people who (became) you friend along the way. They want you know they love you too and that they’re filled with sadness and grief. No one really want to say goodbye so we’ll just wish you eternal peace,” she commented.
A former English teacher of the late sisters, O’ loughlin Tatem, brought listeners to tears and also caused bittersweet smiles and sighs as he delivered an emotional eulogy.
He informed that he taught Naomi at the Washington Archibald High School and that she was always seated at the front row, always grinning with a smile and was always ready to work.
He also described her as one who was “full of energy” and “(beaming) with life.”
Of Jimmyliah, he said she “was a tough girl, a very tough girl.”
He taught her CXC English Language and English Literature at New Horizons Rehabilitation Centre.
Speaking about her dedication and focus on her studies, Tatem highlighted “She passed her subjects because she was determined to, very determined.”
He talked about Jimmyliah’s love for the play ‘Julius Caesar’ written by famous deceased English poet and playwright William Shakespeare, pointing out that she often recited lines from the book.
“She loved Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar… She would close her eyes with that (energetic) smile on her face and rattle of…”
Eight out of 14 photographs displayed in the memorial service booklet captured fond memories of a close bond shared between murdered sisters.
Images of them hugging, smiling, making the peace sign with their fingers and simply posing pretty for the camera created marathon moments of focus for many funeral attendees amidst the unfortunate circumstances which claimed their young lives.
Before the official start of the service at about 1:25 PM, a baby cried. It was discovered by this reporter that the infant was Jimmyliah’s two month old son named Shymir Ta’yhron Glasyl Finch.
The child who was brightly dressed in his blue and white outfit was like a ray of hope in memory his slain mother and aunt.
The woman holding him was seen making her way down the aisle and exiting a side door, apparently taking him out for some soothing fresh air before the ceremony got underway.
His mom Jimmyliah, a 2016 enrolled member of the St.Kitts-Nevis Defence Force was given full military honours for the funeral service which was overall cost covered by the government.
Both sisters had a gray coloured coffin and Jimmyliah’s was draped in the national flag of St.Kitts-Nevis.
Among those in attendance at last Friday’s funeral were Governor General Sir Tapley Seaton; Prime Minister and Minister of National Security; Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Eight Eugene Hamilton; Opposition Leader and immediate former Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. Denzil Douglas; Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Two Marcella Liburd; Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Three Konris Maynard and also community activist of Constituency Eight Dr. Terrance Drew.
The Finch sisters were buried next to each other at the cemetery.
Keys Village resident 34-year-old Orvis Pogson, the boyfriend of the younger sister Naomi, was charged with murder on Saturday 3rd March regarding this double homicide case.
Autopsy results conducted on Monday 5th March revealed that one sister was strangled while the other died from chop wounds with part of her head cut off.
Forensic Pathologist Dr. Valery Alexandrov determined that Naomi died from “homicidal manual strangulation” while Jimmyliah’s death was caused “from multiple homicidal chop wounds with partial decapitation.”
Police responded to a report of a stabbing sometime after 2:00 P.M that deadly afternoon.
Investigators revealed that the police found their motionless bodies lying close to the seashore with what appeared to be chop wounds.
The District Medical Officer visited the scene and pronounced both Finch sisters dead.