Man, 22, charged for kidnap victim's murder

KILLED: Kerry Von Adams -

A Wallerfield man appeared before a magistrate on August 27 charged with the murder of businessman Kerry Von Adams.

Tyrique Strong, 22, was arrested on August 18 in connection to the murder.

Speaking with Newsday by phone on August 28, a relative of Von Adams said the family remains devastated.

“There are so many families still waiting for answers in their cases,” the relative said.

Despite the arrest and charge, the relative said the pain remains raw, and the family is still struggling to make sense of the loss.

Von Adams, 35, left his home around 11 pm on July 5 to lime at a bar in Arima. Less than two hours later, his relatives received a chilling phone call from someone claiming he had been kidnapped. The caller demanded a ransom of $15,000. The family gathered the money and followed instructions to drop the envelope along Tumpuna Road in Arima.

Unfamiliar with the area, a relative phoned the kidnapper for further guidance and was told to throw the envelope out of her car window near Gill View and Davis Court Road, not far from the Tumpuna Road Seventh-day Adventist Church. Later, they were instructed to collect Von Adams at Arima Boys’ RC School. But when they arrived, he was not there. After that, the kidnappers stopped answering their phone.

Two days later, on July 7, Von Adams's body was found in a bushy area among fruit trees on private farmland in the Heights of Guanapo. A farmer made the discovery around midday.

The tragedy left the family reeling.

Von Adams, who ran a successful upholstery business in D’Abadie, was remembered as a kind-hearted, talented man. His relatives believe he was not specifically targeted.

Although they did attend the court hearing, the family said they are following the proceedings. While unfamiliar with the legal process, they remain hopeful that justice will be served.

“We are thankful, and hopeful justice will prevail. My brother did not deserve such a death...

“Everything is still too raw. We’re still grieving, still in disbelief. Kerry was a kind person. To this day, we don’t know the people responsible. We’re left wondering why.”

She said the daily struggle of grief is compounded by visits from Von Adams’s former clients, some of whom are unaware of his death.

“We still get customers showing up, not realising what happened. Kerry’s work was impeccable, he had clients from hotels to spas. Personally, he made a chair for me that sits in my living room to this day. We can't bring ourselves to move anything in his shop. It’s too painful.”

The family’s life, she said, has come to a standstill.

“It’s hard to function. His belongings are still where he left them. We haven’t been able to touch them. It just doesn’t feel real.”