Special education school in Llandilo hit with second tragedy this week

In the quiet community of Moreland Hill in Westmoreland, residents were rocked by tragedy on Friday morning with the killing of 65-year-old security guard Wayne Robinson, who was chopped to death at his home along Old Road.

Robinson, who was employed as a night watchman at the Llandilo School of Special Education in Savanna-la-Mar, was found with chop wounds to his body early Friday. Residents said the gruesome discovery has left them shaken and searching for answers.

The community at the Llandilo School for Special Education was left distressed as news of Robinson’s death spread across the compound.

“It’s really the saddest time in all my years as a teacher and a school principal,” said Roy Reid. “I’m the first principal of the school, and I’ve been here for 23 years now. It’s a really difficult time for us.”

Reid described Robinson as a man of discipline and dedication, who had been with the school for nearly a decade.

“He joined our staff maybe eight years ago… as a relief night watchman,” Reid said. “He worked at the Savanna-la-Mar branch over the time. A very calm, controlled person who was a kind of no-nonsense person, smart, and dedicated to his work.”

The principal said Robinson was scheduled to report to duty Friday evening.

“The watchman should have reported to work tonight at 6, so he would have been on duty tonight,” Reid explained. “When I got the call, it was really shocking, you know, but I could not allow paralysis to detain me. We have to be up and about still.”

Reid said he had not yet received the full details of the incident but had heard that Robinson appeared to have been attacked inside his home.

FOUND WITH CHOP WOUNDS

“They said they found him (but) I don’t know the circumstances under which he was found but they found him this morning chopped two places on his body,” he said. “It appeared as if he had come out of bed and was heading towards his toilet or bathroom, and he had something in his hand that indicated that.”

The tragic news comes less than a week after the same school community was thrown into despair when a student, Sheldon Graham, was struck by a car along the Nonpariel main road in Negril. Reid said the back-to-back tragedies have taken a toll on staff and students.

“We have been down, but we received counselling,” the principal shared. “In the case of Sheldon, it was really hard because Sheldon is a popular guy, everybody knows Sheldon. For Mr Robinson, many of my staff would know him, but not everybody because the fact is he worked at night, and so staff would not be around. But many would have met him at staff functions.”

Despite this, Reid said Robinson’s presence was felt throughout the school’s community.

“He was a part of us, and so yes, we are grieving,” he said.

At Robinson’s home in Moreland Hill, family members struggled to come to terms with his death. His niece, who asked not to be named, fought back tears as she described her uncle as a kind-hearted man who never troubled anyone.

“He was a loving and caring person. A family person,” she said.

Although Robinson lived alone, his niece saw him frequently, the last time being a week ago when they had a brief interaction while she was driving past him on his way back home.

NO SIGN OF DANGER

According to her, there was no sign that Robinson had been in any conflict or danger.

“He didn’t give any indication that he and anybody was in any problem,” she said. “He was just a jovial person. He liked to run his jokes and stuff with other persons.”

She said the news of his death hit the family hard.

“Not good at all,” she said when asked how relatives were coping. “When I heard the news this morning, I couldn’t believe it.”

She said Robinson had one known child.

In the tight-knit community where Robinson lived, residents were equally heartbroken. Some said while the elderly man could be stern at times, he was not known to make trouble.

“He’s a peaceful man,” said one community member. “He doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve it. Although me cannot get along with him, he doesn’t deserve it. He’s a good man. He’s not a troublemaker.”

As the small community continues to grapple with shock and fear, police investigators have launched a probe into the circumstances surrounding Robinson’s death.

Residents said they hope justice will be swift.

“He’s a man that, if you run jokes with him and he doesn’t like it, he’ll tell you plain. But he’s not a badman,” the resident continued. “Everybody here sad. The whole community mourning.”

For Reid and the staff at Llandilo School for Special Education, Robinson’s death marks another painful chapter in what he called “a dark season” for the school.

mickalia.kington@gleanerjm.com