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The house in the foreground where a 68 year old woman was murdered in Bamboo #1, Valsayn, on December 24. - Photo by Lincoln HolderA VALSAYN family’s Christmas Eve preparations were transformed into a waking nightmare in the early hours of December 24, when a 68-year-old grandmother was brutally beaten to death, allegedly by a man she shared her home with.
The victim, Shaffina Hosein, of Nanan Street, Bamboo Settlement No 1, was discovered in a pool of blood after her 60-year-old companion reportedly confessed to the killing and subsequently attempted to take his own life by ingesting a poisonous substance.
The tragedy has left the tight-knit community in shock, coming at a time when families across the country were preparing for the Yuletide season. Instead of a festive morning, Hosein’s children were forced to identify her body and assist police with a homicide investigation.
A chilling confession
According to police reports, first responders arrived at the home around 12.49 am on December 24. They were met by Hosein’s 40-year-old daughter, a resident of McConney Street, Tacarigua.
The woman told officers she had been alerted by her sister, who claimed the suspect had knocked on her door in a state of agitation. The suspect, an employee of Xtra Foods Supermarket who had lived with Hosein for the past two years, allegedly told the daughter he had just killed her mother.
When police entered the house through an ajar wooden door on the eastern side of the property, they found a gruesome scene. Hosein was lying motionless on her back in a cream dress, which was soaked with blood. The suspect was found lying on the floor beside her body.
On being ordered to stand, the suspect reportedly made a spontaneous confession to the officers.
“She betrayed me: I can’t take that," he allegedly told police. "I beat she with the bilna (rolling pin) and kill she. The messages on her phone with she and that man.”
Emergency Health Services (EHS) arrived shortly after, but Hosein showed no signs of life and was pronounced dead at the scene. While examining the suspect, paramedics noted he was vomiting and appeared physically distressed.
He admitted to drinking a poisonous substance in an apparent suicide attempt. He was rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where he remains under police guard.
She was full of life
When Newsday visited the quiet street around 11 am, the atmosphere was sombre. Hosein’s home was being fiercely guarded by her two loyal dogs, Fatty and Whitey.
A family member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described Hosein as a woman who defied her age. Despite being 68, relatives said she possessed a youthful energy that made her appear decades younger.
“She looked 20 or 30 years younger: she was very brisk for her age,” the relative said. “She was not some old, sickly woman. She was very self-reliant and full of life.”
The victim was a mother of five, four biological and one adopted, and a grandmother to at least six children. Residents noted since the passing of her husband, about four years earlier, Hosein had been the backbone of the household. Villagers said she continued to live there with one of her daughters before the suspect moved in two years ago.
A mother figure
Neighbours were equally devastated by the news. One man, who grew up in the area and viewed Hosein as a "mother figure," said the village affectionately knew her as “Aunty Shaffina.”
“We grew up in front of her. She was an incredible person, quiet, humble, and always friendly. If she saw you, she would always stop to ask how you were doing. She was in such good spirits just days ago.”
He recalled seeing her on Sunday morning when she stopped to chat with his mother.
“She was happy. To find out a few minutes ago that she is gone... it is a shocker. It doesn’t feel real, especially today of all days.”
The neighbour used the tragedy to issue a plea to the public regarding domestic violence and the hidden tensions that can exist behind closed doors.
“Be very careful who you choose as your partner in life. It goes for both men and women. In today’s society, you never truly know who you are involved with until you are living in the same house. Everything might be well for a year, and then everything just changes.”
He urged those facing domestic issues to break their silence. "Protect yourself and always keep in contact with your family. If you have a problem, whether it’s domestic or not, please notify them. You don't need to take this burden on your own. Confide in someone."
A tragic discovery
Further down, another relative, who said she knew Hosein for 45 years, was cleaning sorrel as she prepared for Christmas Day. She described Hosein as a good, quiet person who kept to herself and did not meddle too much.
Confused by the presence of media and its questioning, she asked: “Why allyuh asking about her?”
When informed of the murder, the elderly woman became visibly distressed and had to be given several minutes to collect herself. She explained she had seen the flashing lights of the ambulance and police sirens earlier but assumed Hosein had suffered a medical emergency related to her diabetes.
The flashing lights at 1 am, she said, were “strange for Nanan Street.”
She said it was Hosein’s nephew who first noticed it but believed it to be diabetes-related.
“She has sugar (diabetes), so I tell myself the ambulance must be come for she because she might be sick," she sobbed. "I didn't know she died. I didn't know someone would do that to her.”
The relative added Hosein would visit her faithfully every day after church.
“She would come and she’d talk: she was a good person. I never knew her to have a problem with anybody. She was friendly with everyone.”
Regarding the suspect, the relative admitted she had never met him despite the two-year relationship.
Asked if there had been any warning signs of domestic strife, she said no one ever heard shouting from the house in the back.
“She was quiet but friendly. You barely knew people were in the back there.”
The woman lamented how Hosein had lived elsewhere for a time before returning, saying she fixed the house up herself "brick by brick, little by little."
“If she saw a neighbour, she’d cross the yard to say hello. If she noticed someone struggling, she’d stop to ask if they were all right.”
The woman echoed the sentiments of others that Hosein was self-reliant but stressed, “No one knew if there was anything wrong behind closed doors.”
This story was originally published with the title "Valsayn woman, 68, killed by boyfriend" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.
A 68-year-old Valsayn woman was beaten to death on Christmas Eve by her lover, 60, after he went through her cellphone. The suspect then attempted to take his own life by ingesting a poisonous substance.
The deceased has been identified as Shaffina Hosein Madoo. Reports say the incident occurred around 12.49 am on December 24.
First responders arrived at the family home on Nanan Street, Bamboo #1, Valsayn. There, they met the victim's daughter, who told officers she had been alerted to the incident by her sister.
The sister reportedly told relatives her mother’s boyfriend of two years came to her door earlier that night and confessed to killing Madoo before claiming he had "drunk poison."
When officers entered the home, they found Madoo’s body lying on her back. The suspect, a resident of Barrackpore, was found lying on the ground next to the body.
English (US) ·