Court matter still pending against Ferguson for alleged shooting
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — When Denise Terveus, 29, heard her sister had been shot and killed by her fiancé in alleged murder and attempted suicide, she said she immediately felt a sense of guilt after not speaking with her since last year.
Police said Heavenly Terveus, 21, was found shot to death in front of her one-month-old baby boy sometime before 6pm at a residence on Miami Street.
She was found lying next to a man later identified as her fiancé Fenron Delano Ferguson, who reportedly turned the gun on himself in an attempted suicide after shooting the young mother.
The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the country and local community as police begin their investigations into the matter.
In an interview with Eyewitness News, Terveus’ sister pointed to her own outstanding matter against Ferguson, who allegedly shot at her and another woman in April 2021.
The incident reportedly stemmed from an attempt to help Heavenly after the couple had another domestic dispute.
Ferguson was charged with two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life but was granted bail.
Terveus said after he was released from custody, Ferguson and her sister got back together and he proposed to her. Heavenly got pregnant shortly after and had her first child in December.
But the mother of three said after the incident she didn’t speak to her sister at all because she was so angry about the alleged incident.
“With this whole thing that happened, she didn’t reach out to me, I didn’t reach out to her,” she said.
“The last conversation we had she told me that she thinks it’s best if we just part ways until the court case is over. And I was upset that she said that because I felt like you choosing him over me and he almost ended my life.”
Terveus said she had not spoken to her sister up to the day of her death.
“It hurts me so much to know I wasn’t there. I feel like I failed her. I felt like the system failed her.”
She said when she received the news she could not believe it, but what hurt her the most is that her sister died thinking she hated her.
“But I didn’t really hate her. It’s just the situation what happen,” she continued.
“I would tell anybody that no matter what’s going on between you and your family I would always say try to get to the bottom of the situation because I didn’t have even a chance to talk to my sister and let her know I still love her. I had to stay away because I was in fear of my life.”
She said the only thing she felt she could have done was to talk to her sister and try to get her to end the relationship, but that did not work.
“I beating myself up about it,” Terveus said.
“But when I really think about it I tried. I just feel like I didn’t try hard enough and I should have pushed the issue more.”
The couple has been together for about three years, but Heavenly reportedly moved back to her family’s Miami Street home two weeks ago.
Terveus described the young mother as a sweet, calm, caring, and lovable person.
“She was a person that could just light up the room when she walked in. She was a very humble soul.”
Heavenly was pronounced dead at the scene, while Ferguson was transported to the hospital for medical attention and remains listed in critical condition.
Their one-month-old baby boy was also taken to hospital but later discharged.
Community stakeholders last night bemoaned the tragedy and the need to focus on gender-based violence and violence against women.
Ann-Marie Davis, wife of Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis, offered condolences to the family in a statement last night.
Davis said: “We must continue to use our collective voices (including NGO’s and civil society), to bring greater public awareness to this social scourge while we aggressively agitate for stronger public and social policy measures to stamp out domestic abuse and gender-based violence.”
