THE READ: ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – STOP POSTURING, START PROGRAMMING

THE READ: ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – STOP POSTURING, START PROGRAMMING
Heavenly Terveus, 21, and her fiancé, Fenron Delano Ferguson, who killed her and turned the gun on himself.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The details surrounding the death of 21-year-old Heavenly Terveus read like a textbook cautionary tale of domestic violence. She was shot and killed in her family’s home in front of her one-month-old son by the child’s father – her fiancé Fenron Ferguson.

Heavenly’s one-month-old son.

Her killer stalked her in the two weeks leading up to her death, harassing her and damaging property. And while police responded to reports of damaged property at the Miami Street home days before her death, officials say she never made an official complaint.

“The officers attempted to encourage her to make a complaint but she did not make an official complaint,” said Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle yesterday.

“The officers still attempted to find him…He was well aware that police were looking for him. We made checks. Unfortunately, he was still able to get to her and cause injury and even death. So we did what was required of us.”

According to her family, Heavenly was abused throughout her relationship with her fiancé and the father of her infant. This dynamic placed great strain on her relationship with her family up until the last two weeks when she sought to sever ties and move back home.

Her sister Denise Terveus, 29, hadn’t spoken to her in nearly a year. She said she was forced to make the painful choice between her own livelihood and that of her younger sister when Fenron allegedly shot at her while trying to assist Heavenly in leaving him last year April.

“Fenron’s mother called me,” Denise said.

“She was all hysterical on the phone, she said go for your sister. My baby was three months at the time, I left the kids with my other sister and just went.

“As we was coming into the corner I saw my sister to the end of the corner barefoot, her weave was off and everything and she was crying n the middle of the road, running. When I saw that I was so mad and I thought this man always putting his hand on her because no one standing up to him.”

She continued: “So I said we going to the house now to get your stuff and she was saying no no no. I said we’re going to get your stuff and you’re not going back there no more. When we got there I started bamming on the door, I make noise, and when he came to the door he started shooting at me. I had to run for my life.”

At the time, Fenron spent several days in jail in connection with the shooting but proposed to Heavenly as soon as he was out on bail.

She accepted and moved back in with Fenron, and in December she gave birth to a baby boy.

Ferguson was expected to return to court in October 2021 for a presentation of a voluntary bill of indictment, however, Eyewitness News understands that the complainant did not show up to the court hearing. 

For her part, Denise said she never heard from police about Ferguson being released on bail or a follow-up to the court matter.

“I was shocked I wasn’t expecting that,” Denise said.

“He only spent a few days in there, when he was in there someone sneaked him a cellphone and he was still contacting my sister. She stayed at my house for about three days and then she left. The next thing I know he was out and she was back (with him).”

“When I heard this (about Heavenly’s death) I said it’s not true,” Denise continued.

“I said my sister died thinking I hate her but I didn’t hate her. No matter what going on between you and your family always try to get to the bottom of the situation. I didn’t have the chance to talk to my sister and let her know I still love her but it’s just I had to stay away because I was afraid for my life. She moved back in the same house that I almost get kill to.”

Denise said: “I didn’t understand. The reason I didn’t come out and say anything, I was trying to shield my sister. Both of them would have already created this image out there that both of them were happy. I said I couldn’t do anything else due to me almost losing my life.”

As Heavenly’s family shoulders the burden of their own personal accountability and caring for her orphaned child, the official posturing from stakeholders has already begun.

While relatives ask themselves what more could they have done, the official narrative from law enforcement remains ‘we can only do so much’.

“The whole society has to do it part, not only the police,” Commissioner Paul Rolle said.

“We focus on the police when these things happen but these are our sons and daughters that are involved in these cases. You have family members you can speak to, you have to encourage these people to follow through.”

For his part, Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said: “The police can always do more.

“If we had maybe 1,700 – 2000 more policemen, once a complaint is assigned, then the policeman goes and look for complainants.

“…Our manpower restraints doesn’t permit the police with all of the responses to go looking for you so we do require some cooperation from the public.”

While manpower and public trust are critical tools, the state cannot continue to abdicate its obligation to ensure the effective protection of the most vulnerable in our society. We need better training and resources for police officers, access to safe houses and counseling services for victims of abuse, alongside proper monitoring and case management.

These measures don’t require any action on the part of the public or more specifically the victim, and can be done with the stroke of a pen or more importantly the imposition of political will. But instead, we are more concerned with what change looks like rather than the actual steps needed to achieve it.

We will not prevent the deaths of countless other women from meeting a similar fate through political exposition – but yet, we persist.

In a tweet yesterday, Minister of Transport and Housing JoBeth Coleby-Davis said: “We can continue these speeches & tweets on how extremely sad we are after EVERY unfortunate Domestic Violence incident; but until we have STRICTER PENALTIES, MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS, REAL SUPPORT FOR NGOs SUCH AS FOAM, and a MOVEMENT THAT NAMES & SHAMES, this will not STOP!”

A tweet posted by Minister of Transport and Housing JoBeth Coleby-Davis.

Her post was rightfully met with public ire on the social media platform with many users underscoring the new minister’s tweet belied her own agency as a member of Cabinet.

The road to systemic change has already been cleared by the grassroots activists and NGOs that have been standing in the gap. Lawmakers have all the tools at their disposal to effect meaningful and systemic change, starting with gender-based violence.

“We were supposed to be outraged many many years ago,” said Khandi Gibson, founder and president of Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM).

“We’ve been having issues in our country where men feel like it’s ok to harm, attack, and even kill us. Now I’m saying enough now is enough, and we don’t just mean enough just coming on Facebook and venting, man let’s take our problem to Parliament.

“These people who we elected in ya’ll are lawmakers, you could change the law by just a stroke on a paper. Change the laws, amend the laws that when a guy even think he gonna attack us that’s a no-no, and it’s all out no.”

About Ava Turnquest

Ava Turnquest is the head of the Digital Department at Eyewitness News. Her most notable beat coverage spans but is not limited to politics, immigration and human rights, with a focus especially on minority groups. In 2018, she was nominated by the Bahamas Press Club for “The Eric Wilmott Award for Investigative Journalism”. Ava is deeply motivated by her passion about the role of fourth estate, and uses her pen to inform, educate and sensitize the public.

1 comments

Comments are closed.