Email

Print

It happened in Ladyville and 7news was at the crime scene on Saturday:..

Jules Vasquez reporting
On Saturday morning, police were at the bungalow home off Perez Road in Ladyville where Antonio Cowo and Rudolfo Sanchez were chopped up.

The scenes of crime team recovered the machete that 36 year old David Melendez allegedly used in the chopping.

A trail of blood followed outside the house, and inside, blood was everywhere splattered and daubed over the appliances.

Melendez was found sleeping in this bed, surrounded by the blood of his associates.

The signs of violence - however extreme - came as no surprise to his ex wife and mother of his two children:

Gladys Perez, Ex Common-Law Of Accused
"Three months he and I separated because he is a violent person when he is drinking. I don't know what really happened here because he and I are not together anymore. The only thing that I can say is that he is very violent when he drinks."

Jules Vasquez
"What did you think when you saw the condition of the house this morning?"

Gladys Perez, Ex Common-Law Of Accused
"I thought that he killed somebody. Nobody could tell him anything when he is drunk because he gets ignorant. I don't know what happened. I am frightened because I never know that he would reach so far in doing this. I don't know what happened, the police didn't tell me. I feel so sorry because he is the father of my kids. I don't know what will happen with him now."

"For 14 years I was with the man living under domestic violence."

Jules Vasquez
"Now your kids - I see them here this morning. How do you explain to them a scene likes this with so much blood all over the place and their father is in the Hattieville police station accused?"

Gladys Perez, Ex Common-Law Of Accused
"My oldest son is already used to it because he use to see whenever his daddy used to knock me and beat me up. But his daughter is the one that will be most affected because she really loves her dad. It doesn't matter if her daddy is a drunken man or he daddy is somebody else - she still loves her father."

Antonio Cowo reported that at around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, he was riding his bicycle on Plantation Road, when Melendez called him inside and said quote, "It's you I was waiting for." Melendez then grabbed a machete and began attacking him.

Melendez chopped Cowo on the left arm, and he managed to escape death by running into one of the rooms and diving under a bed.

Melendez then allegedly went outside, and he attacked and inflicted chop wounds to Rodolfo Suarez, who was nearby.

Police arrested and charge Melendez with 2 counts of attempted murder, 2 counts of use of deadly means of harm, and 2 counts of dangerous harm, and he was arraigned this afternoon in front of Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith.

Because of the nature of the offenses, he was remanded to prison until July 18.