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On Zericote, The Very Young Killed, the Very Old, Home Invaded
posted (October 5, 2010)
There's no forgetting Eyannie Nunez…the innocent 8 year old girl who was killed as she slept in her Zericote Street home on the morning of September 22nd….but for her next door neighbor, 69 year old Rose Munnings, the trauma of that event has been superseded by a ruthless home invasion she endured yesterday.

It happened around two in the afternoon - in broad daylight as a pair of men stormed into her home. Monica Bodden found out what happened next when she visited the scared senior citizen.

Monica Bodden, Reporting
69 year old Rose Munnings has been living here at her home on Zericote Street for over 30 years. Her 2 story concrete house as you can see is properly secured.

There is even a "Beware Of The Dogs sign"… warning everyone there are dogs in the yard. So little would she expect that yesterday afternoon she would be the target of a broad daylight aggravated burglary. The senior citizen - fearing for her safety - asked to appear off camera.

Rose Munnings - Victim
"About minutes to 2, two guys came in the house I was still in the chair. They came so quiet, one of them just put the gun to my face and said, 'Don't make any noise because I will kill you.' Well I start to look thru the door and call for help and the boy just drag me and I found myself on the floor."

Mrs. Munnings was sitting in this chair near the door where the two young men entered. After she was dragged to the floor one of the men went on to duct tape her hands, feet and mouth and began wrenching off her necklace and bracelets.

Rose Munnings - Victim
"He tied me up and I told him that he didn't have to do all of this because I am a Christian, I said take anything what you want you can take out the house. He asks me if it's me alone here; I said me and my grand baby. He said, 'Are you sure?' I told him yes. By this time my grand baby went in the room and lock up herself."

Monica Bodden
"You were tied on the floor? They duct taped your hands?"

Rose Munnings - Victim
"They duct tape my hand, my mouth, my feet and he took all the jewelry that was on me."

Her 7 year old grand-daughter who had just come home from school before the incident and was inside her room -heard the commotion and quietly peeped to see what was going on. That was when she saw her grandmother tied up on the floor. The little girl quickly went inside her room locked the door and then called her mother who was at work at the time.

Ruthlyn Munnings
"A little after 2 o' clock i was at work at the time, my cell rang and the baby said mommy and I said how was school today?. She said, 'Mom, there are two thieves in the house and grandma is crying.' I said what? I said, 'Hold on baby.' She said, 'Yes mom, you need to come quick, come quick.' So I told her to be quiet, I am going to call 911."

At this time the thieves were still inside the house.

Rose Munnings - Victim
"Then the other boy was helping himself in my room and the other two rooms with everything that they could take."

Monica Bodden
"What was going through your mind at that time?"

Rose Munnings - Victim
"I was just praying for him not to kill me nor my grand baby."

Monica Bodden
"You didn't hear any sound from your grand baby?"

Rose Munnings - Victim
"No sound at all. So my mind keep wondering what is she doing?"

After everything played out the thieves got what they wanted but before departing they left Mrs. Munnings with a short message and - of all things - a kiss.

Rose Munnings - Victim
"The boy said Mrs. Munnings, sorry I have to do this but I have to do it. When they got all they wanted the one that tied me up and duct tape me up came back and kiss my cheek and said that if I make any noise he will turn back."

This Police Sub Station is just a stone's throw away from where the incident happened- yet the family arrived before the police did.

Ruthlyn Munnings
"From BTL Church Street to here, my dad was on Craig Street, my dad came first and while pulling up here we saw the police came. I am a bit disappointed because from the time I call my dad show up first and the police came the same time with me. I thought we had some sub-station in the neighborhood maybe would have been a 2 minutes alert and they would have been here to help my mom, but that didn't happen."

Monica Bodden
"About how many minutes you would say you received the call from your baby and then you arrive?"

Ruthlyn Munnings
"I got here maybe like 10 minutes, give or take within that time."

Monica Bodden
"But there is a police sub-station?"

Ruthlyn Munnings
"Right, I thought they would have been here already because I explain the area and everything, I told them it's the same area where the little girl got shot. The house next door. Bothe of us arrive at the same time was just kind of strange."

For the Munnings family they are still left terrified of the possibilities of what could have happened yesterday afternoon.

Monica Bodden
"Mrs. Munnings what was going thru your mind when your baby actually said mommy 'two thieves are in the house?'"

Ruthlyn Munnings
"You know I start to cry and I said gosh I hope they don't kill my mom and my baby, that was my first reaction. They could take anything they want but I was just worrying about saving lives and when my baby told me that she came out and she saw the 2 guys over my mom, she went back in the room and she locked her door and she call me. She is my angel; she is a hero at age 7."

Rose Munnings - Victim
"I didn't get wink of sleep last night and my arms are black and blue because he grab me so hard. My head hurts a lot and I am a bit nervous."

Reporting for Seven News - Monica Bodden.

The thieves made off with an assortment of valuable electronics and jewelry which includes 2 cellphones valued at twelve hundred dollars, an assortment of jewelry valued at four thousand dollars, an itouch, an ipad, three watches valued at two thousand five hundred dollars, a digital camera valued at three hundred and fifty dollars, a pair of glasses valued at one thousand dollars, a DSL modem and three hundred dollars in cash. The total value of the items stolen add up to ten thousand, six hundred dollars. The robbers threw away the gun they used in the robbery a couple yards away from the house - it turned out to be a toy gun. Police are still investigating.

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