The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Tricia Marajh, a St Joseph-based businesswoman, has sparked public outrage after her family revealed she had filed multiple formal reports with Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement agencies about persistent death threats earlier this year – yet no protective action was taken before the targeted attack.
Marajh was gunned down just after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in what her relatives confirm was a pre-planned hit, not a random robbery. The killing makes her the sixth woman to be murdered in the country so far this year.
When local outlet the Express visited Marajh’s family compound off Riverside Road on Thursday, the entrance of the property was marked with a sign reading “D Duck Ranch Poultry Depot”, with the family home sitting up a gentle incline from the road. A close relative of Marajh, who requested anonymity to speak publicly, described her as a loving wife, devoted mother of three, and generous community member. Marajh leaves behind two daughters aged 18 and 19, and a nine-year-old son. Beyond her poultry business, she ran a successful dessert and cake brand called T’s Tasty Treats and also operated a small used car buying and selling business.
While the family remains uncertain of the motive behind the attack, the relative confirmed that the killing was not a robbery or extortion attempt. “Since the start of the year, she was being threatened with death. But Wednesday was not a robbery, it was a hit,” the relative stated. When asked about potential links to illegal money lending, the relative added that to the best of the family’s knowledge, Marajh did not owe money to any lender. The individuals who threatened her never even demanded money, he added.
Following the first threat against her life, Marajh took formal action by filing a report at the St Joseph Police Station. She did not stop there: she submitted multiple additional reports to the specialized Extortion Unit and even reached out to officers from the national Task Force, according to the relative. “She made numerous reports to all of them… and nothing was done,” he said.
The family’s grief is mixed with deep anger over the lack of intervention from authorities. “What’s justice for a life lost? We as well as our entire community are upset about this, as justice cannot bring any life back,” the relative said. “Everyone who knew her, loved her. She had a soft heart and she was the kind of person who helped anyone who asked.”
On Thursday afternoon, one of Marajh’s daughters shared a heartfelt public tribute to her mother on social media that laid bare the raw pain of her loss. “I love you so much and I can’t believe this right now. Just yesterday you were here with all of us and now you’re gone in seconds. It’s so sad and it hurts a lot. I hope we can get you the justice you deserve and need,” the post read. The daughter described trying to stay strong for her father and younger brother, but struggling to cope with the sudden loss. “You were not ready to go and you were still young with a lot to live for but they took that from you and they took you from me,” she wrote.
Details released by police confirm the attack was carefully orchestrated. Around 4:35 p.m. Wednesday, Marajh was called out of her home by an individual who asked her to inspect a gold-coloured Nissan Tiida, a common part of her used car business. While she was examining the vehicle, a masked gunman exited the back seat, approached her, and fired multiple shots at close range. By the time shocked relatives inside the home heard the gunfire and rushed outside, the attacker’s vehicle had already sped away from the scene. Family members immediately transported Marajh to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.
The Express reached out to multiple senior officers with the Northern Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to verify the family’s claims that Marajh had filed repeated threat reports, but no official response had been received as of Thursday night.