Residents of Busy Corner in New Grant have been shaken by the double homicide of a couple in their home opposite the Unis Road Shiva Mandir.

A resident found the bodies of labourer Michael "Danny Boy" Deonarine, 25, and his common-law wife Crystal Jagroop, 26, on Tuesday night at the wooden shack where they lived.

They had been shot and killed. Deonarine’s body was on a bed and Jagroop’s on the floor nearby.

Deonarine, who had no children, had lived in the house for the past three years.

A year and a month ago, Jagroop moved in with him. He was originally from the area, while Jagroop was from Dades Trace in Rio Claro.

Jagroop had a daughter from a previous relationship. The child lives in the same house, but has been spending the vacation with relatives.

A relative told Newsday a neighbour was walking past the shack, noticed an unpleasant smell and saw flies swarming around the house, which does not have electricity.

He called the relative, who in turn contacted the police.

Insp Maharaj and other officers from the Homicide Bureau Region III and Tableland station visited and gathered evidence.

When Newsday visited the area on Wednesday, the house was cordoned off with crime-scene tape. The community has a scattered population.

"Villagers last saw them alive on Sunday afternoon. The two were liming and drinking.

"This is very shocking for this community. This is a very quiet area.

"Danny Boy is a nice person," said the relative, who asked to remain unidentified.

Relatives said Deonarine’s mother, Sharmela Deonarine, has not been coping well, considering she is still mourning her 16-year-old son, who died of natural causes less than a year ago.

"August 27 marks one year since Vijay Ramsaroop died. He was a student of Princes Town Junior Secondary (now called East Secondary). He was not a sickly child or anything. He got chest pain, and that was it.

"We found Danny’s body on Tuesday, exactly 11 months after his brother died."

Another relative said Deonarine and Jagroop had quarrelled and made up several times in the past 13 months.

Another said, "The only issue he had was drinking. He did not drink often, but when he did, he took a lot. She too could have handled herself (meaning she drank a lot)."

Residents said they had never seen so many police at the same time in the community.

"The whole community is shocked about this. The two of them were drinking home up to Sunday.

"That house is so close to the road. The killer could be anybody.

"Good thing the child was not there, because she too may have been killed," another resident said.

"Danny carried about himself decently. He was a good person. We do not know much about the woman, because she was not from here."

Newsday learnt that police found four spent shells in the house.

Up to Wednesday afternoon, neither the killer or the gun used had been found. Investigations are ongoing.

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