Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 20/Feb 19:31

Moruga woman, 64, murdered in home invasion

The 64-year-old woman killed in a home invasion in Moruga is also believed to have been sexually assaulted. Durpatee Chance's body was found in her bedroom at the family's home at Moruga Main Road in St Mary's Village around 5 am on February 20. She is believed to have been strangled. A cord was found around her neck, her feet were tied and her underwear pulled down. Her husband, 71, was beaten and tied up in a nearby room, but survived the ordeal. He was taken to the Princes Town District Health Facility. The killers also stole a quantity of money. Chance was last seen alive on the night of February 19. [caption id="attachment_1139970" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Crime scene investigators at the scene of a home invasion along the Moruga main road, St Mary's Village where the body of 64-year-old Durpatee Chance was found dead. - Photo by Lincoln Holder[/caption] Supt Persad, Insp Teeluck, Cpl Jilmansingh and other police from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region Three, as well as the Southern Division police, visited the scene and gathered evidence. Moruga/ Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin said she was deeply saddened and outraged by the incident. "This heinous act is yet another devastating blow to our community, which has been living in fear due to the unchecked rise in violent crime," a media statement from the MP said on February 20. Benjamin said she has repeatedly called on the National Security Minister to prioritise crime-fighting efforts in the constituency, where home invasions, robberies, and murders have become all too common. The opposition MP accused the government of turning a blind eye to the suffering "of our people, offering empty promises while families are left grieving their loved ones. "How many more innocent lives must be lost before the government takes real action? The people of Moruga/Tableland deserve to feel safe in their own homes, yet criminals operate without fear of consequence." This is a developing story.   The post Moruga woman, 64, murdered in home invasion appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.