Widow collapses at funeral service
by Robert Bazil
THE widow of mass murderer Raul Anthony Herod broke down in tears and screamed and collapsed at his funeral service yesterday afternoon. At the same time, Denise Herod's step-children, mother-in-law and other family members, victims of her husband's rampaging slaughter, were buried at Buxton, following a service at the St Augustine's Anglican Church in Friendship, East Coast Demerara. The badly burnt remains of the 36-year-old Operations Supervisor of Securicor (Guyana) Inc. security firm, were laid to rest after a funeral service at the Newburg funeral home in the city. He was interred in the hangman's quarter, aback of the Le Repentir Cemetery, though onlookers at the parlour, showing much sympathy for Herod and the circumstances which caused him to kill his family and himself, had given him a sort of hero's send off. Last Wednesday, Herod killed two of his three children - Rondell and Nandy Herod - along with his mother, Shirley Cole, aunt Patricia Harris, grandmother Angela Herod, his niece Jonnel, and nephew, Orwin. He then set ablaze the family home at Buxton, East Coast Demerara, and turned the gun on himself. But his nine-year-old son, Jermaine, managed to escape after he was shot in the jaw. At his funeral service yesterday, Herod's widow remained sombrely seated in a corner of the funeral home, surrounded by her dead husband's co-workers and dozens of onlookers. The tributes were plentiful, and so were the choruses. None of Herod's relatives, except for his wife and an aunt, Audrey Adams, who read the eulogy, was present. However, several members of Securicor, with and without uniforms, were present. Following the simple ceremony, six of Herod's co-workers bore his wooden casket out of the parlour to the hearse. Droves of mourners then hustled to the burial site on foot to observe the last rites of the man who created such mayhem. However, the funeral procession traversed through the burial ground for some time, before the spot allotted Herod was found. It was the last spot in the eastern section of the ground, where many say executed prisoners are buried. Immediately, members of the party began voicing their disapproval. "Ow! Is de condemn section they bring de man?" "Till down at the back here? Oh shucks, de man ain't live so bad!" were some of the general comments. When confronted, an official of the Newburg funeral home promptly explained that that was the new section for the mud graves. The official told the grieving party that if they were dissatisfied, they can find an alternate resting place for Herod and they will be fully reimbursed. But after some encouraged to "put he (Herod) down and done", the burial party advanced to one of the crudely dug holes, and there, the last rites for Herod were performed. Unable to maintain her composure, Herod's widow broke down in tears and began screaming until she fainted. Several persons rushed to her side, leaving only the officiating priest, Pastor Ivan John, and a few others to continue the rites. After a while, she recovered and rejoined the group, but cried continuously. The coffin was later lowered into the narrow hole with two pieces of rope. A few pieces of dirt were thrown into the hole after his casket, then the procession disbanded and left the ground voicing their own opinions. One woman was heard saying that only Herod knew why he did it. A neighbour had earlier reported hearing Herod say: "Dead man carry no tales." Then the final gunshots. 
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