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The father of slain 10-year-old Shani Coke has died, less than two weeks after his daughter was laid to rest. Aston Coke died Thursday morning at the Percy Junor Hospital after battling a prolonged illness.
His death comes at a particularly painful time for the Coke family, following the brutal killing of his daughter, whose death sent shockwaves through the usually quiet community of Tyre in Troy, Trelawny.
Shani’s partially nude body was discovered on July 21, with her throat slashed. The gruesome discovery triggered widespread concern and outrage across the community as investigators launched a probe into the circumstances surrounding her death.
According to a family friend, Aston was already seriously ill before his daughter was killed, but his condition reportedly deteriorated significantly after the tragedy.
“He was already gravely ill, and then when his daughter was murdered he took down worse. He was in hospital shortly after the incident and didn’t even get to go to her funeral two weeks ago. His heart was broken,” the family friend said.
HEARTBROKEN FATHER SPOKE AFTER DAUGHTER’S DEATH
In an interview on July 22, a Coke described his daughter as a loving and caring child who was well known and admired throughout her community.
According to the father, Shani had been sent to a nearby shop by her grandmother but never returned home. He said the family later learned that she had apparently encountered someone along the roadway before she was killed.
“Her grandmother sent her to the shop, and she did not make it back home. Someone stopped her on the street and disturbed her somehow and slashed her throat,” Coke said.
He remembered his daughter as a bright and affectionate child who had developed strong relationships with people in the community.
“She was loving and caring in the community growing up. Everybody knows her. She knows everyone. She can see you and call you by your full name. She had a sense of humour,” he recalled.
Coke also spoke proudly about Shani’s performance in school, revealing that she had received several academic awards and was determined to build a successful future for herself. “She was doing well in school, and she got a lot of academic awards,” he said.
The grieving father said the family had encouraged Shani to pursue her ambitions and make something meaningful of her life.
“She decided that she wanted to make something out of herself growing up, because we were driving that into her head, but things just happened overnight,” he said.
ALLEGED KILLER LATER KILLED BY RESIDENTS
Coke also alleged that the man believed to be responsible for his daughter’s death was a habitual offender.
The suspect was later identified as Delroy Coke.
Following the killing, tensions reportedly escalated in the community, with residents attacking the alleged perpetrator. Delroy Coke was subsequently mobbed to death, while his father was reportedly injured during the attack.
The circumstances surrounding Shani’s murder and the subsequent mob killing have left the Tyre community grappling with grief, anger and questions about the events that unfolded.
For the Coke family, the tragedy has now resulted in the loss of both a young daughter and, weeks later, her father, a devastating double blow that has deepened the pain surrounding the case.
English (US) ·