A bitter family feud may have been the cause of the brutal murder of former World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight Champion, Trevor Berbick, who was chopped to death on Saturday.
Fabian LedgisterTwo men, one of whom police confirmed is the nephew of the slain boxer, have been held in connection with the murder. Police declined to reveal the men's names, but assured that strong evidence against them would reap charges by today.
Investigations by THE STAR has revealed that the murder weapon, a machete, is now in police custody.
Police investigations have so far uncovered that the killing may be an act of revenge, in relation to an incident between Berbick and a female family member in April.
Police confirmed that on April 7 this year, an altercation occurred at the home of Berbick's brother (address withheld by police), between Berbick and the woman. The confrontation intensified, wherein Berbick was accused of attacking and wounding the woman with a blunt object.
He was charged with unlawful wounding, and was actually in the process of being tried in court on the matter, before his untimely death.
Police say one of the suspects was held less than three hours after the incident and the other held on Saturday night.
Further investigations have also revealed that Berbick, who was the last person to defeat boxing great Muhammad Ali, was shunned by members of his own family as a fall out from an ongoing feud.
The feud was said to have escalated to a boiling point, when Berbick allegedly broke into the house of his niece (address withheld by police). He was also slapped with an attempted burglary charge.
Pleasant man
Reports are on April 12 this year (five days after the alleged unlawful wounding incident) a caretaker saw a man attempting to break into the home of Berbick's niece. Berbick was identified by the caretaker, and was formally charged.
Although police confirm that Berbick had become a known "trouble-maker" to them due to the problems with his family, they described their encounters with the slain boxer, as pleasant.
"Even though he used to be a trouble-maker when it came to the internal feud with his family, he was a pleasant fellow who would often pass the (Port Antonio Police) station gate (entrance) and talk with us, especially about a rematch with Mike Tyson...everyone is saddened," said an officer at the police station.
They re-iterate that the men in custody will be charged by today.
"We are now preparing a duty council to conduct a Q&A (question and answer) with the two men in custody...by tomorrow they should be charged," said an officer involved in investigations into the murder.
The body of the 52-year-old former boxing champion was discovered dead in the front yard of his home in Norwich, Portland, on Saturday morning (approximately 5:00 a.m.). There were four chop wounds to the back of his head.
