Boy, 5, cries for best friend at funeralBy Anna-Lisa Paul Saturday, January 28 2012
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A FAREWELL KISS: Murdered schoolboy, Israel Josiah Governor, gets a final kiss from his mother, Brenda Governor, at his funeral service yesterday. It ...
The five-year-old “best friend” of murdered school-boy Josiah Governor yesterday cried at Josiah’s funeral service as he said that he will never find another best friend like Josiah in his life ever again.
Placing a red rose on the body of Josiah before the start of the funeral service at about 10.30 am at Simpsons Funeral Chapel, Eastern Main Road, Laventille yesterday — young Jude Bonaparte wiped his eyes while speaking with Newsday as he recalled the close relationship he shared with Josiah. Throughout the hour-long funeral service, Jude buried his head in mother’s lap, Moncia Rochard, unable to deal with the many emotions he may have felt on seeing his best friend for the last time.
In a brief interview, Jude, a second year student of the Patna River Estate Primary School said Josiah never related to him about the abuse he was being forced to endure at the hands of a male relative. “I am sad, we used to do everything together. We played a lot, and did our work at school,” Jude said. Comforting Jude during the short interview, Rochard said on the day Jude learnt that Josiah had died, her son turned to her and said, “I don’t have a best friend again, because they killed him.”
Rochard said while her son will want to find a best friend again, “it will not be in a long time.”
Officiating at the funeral service, Spiritual Baptist Leader, Darryl Goodridge, urged the relatives of Josiah to remain strong as he said, “God alone knows the reason, and he knows the purpose.” Urging young people “to find a church and accept God into your life,” Goodridge warned the mourners in the packed chapel that “Governments come and go, and they are trying all kinds of things, but it is not working. This is only the beginning, and there is worst to come.”
Reading out the eulogy which had been written in the form of a poem, Josiah’s aunt, Tracey Andrew, told the congregation, “God saw you in a position we did not see. He called you home in a way we don’t understand. You are out of harm’s way now. I know God has a plan even if we don’t understand.” During the funeral service yesterday, Josiah’s mother, Brenda Governor and Josiah’s grandmother, Laurel Andrews, remained seated on opposite ends of the row of chairs.
Nearing the end of the funeral service when Goodridge invited relatives and friends to have a last look in the casket before it was closed, tension escalated between Governor and Andrews as mourners surrounding Andrews claimed Governor tried to attack her but was pushed away.
Shortly after the alleged incident, Governor was whisked away by a friend while Andrews was ushered into a waiting car that followed the hearse bearing Josiah’s body to the Tunapuna Cemetery where he was laid to rest. Last Friday, Josiah was allegedly beaten with a PVC pipe by a male relative at his home at Herman Scott Street, East Dry River, Port-of-Spain after he was accused of not paying attention during math lessons.
An unconscious Josiah was later taken to the Besson Street Police Station and transferred to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
A 25-year-old man has since appeared in court charged with Josiah’s murder.
