A 14-year-old girl was charged with killing a 15-year-old boy from Newland, Portmore. The two teens were in a heated argument when the accused used scissors to inflict a fatal stab wound on Duscane Elliot at his residence in Beverly Flat last Friday.
According to police reports, the incident happened around 12:30 p.m. when the accused visited the victim’s home to burn clothes. Initial reports said that she wanted to set her boyfriend’s clothes ablaze and had included some of Elliot’s clothing. Elliot was initially asleep, but when he woke up, he attempted to stop the girl from burning his clothes.
An argument followed, ending when she stabbed him in the chest with half of a pair of scissors. Elliot stumbled outside calling for help, but collapsed before neighbours could get him to the hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
Residents described the boy’s final moments with heartbreak, saying that he was calling out for help while holding his chest. One witness recalled that his foot buckled and his eyes “rolled over” as he fell to the ground. “Him basically dead right here before him reach hospital,” the resident said.
Shortly after, the 14-year-old suspect was taken into custody, where she reportedly admitted to committing the crime. She has since been charged with murder, and a court date is being arranged.
According to reports, Elliot had been living on his own since the death of his mother last year, which was the last time he attended school. Both Elliot and the suspect dropped out of school. However, he and his neighbours were said to be making plans for him to return this semester.
Residents described him as polite, respectful, and eager to better himself. “Nobody in this community have anything negative to say about him because him full a manners,” one woman said, adding that she had planned to buy him school shoes the very day he died.
Priscella Duhaney, spokesperson for child advocacy group Hear the Children Cry, urged Jamaicans not to turn a blind eye to minors showing signs of distress. “We are failing our children,” she said, pointing to the need for stronger community and institutional support.