Teacher who murdered grandmother undergoing psychological evaluation

Stephanie Gamell, 22, the teacher accused of the gruesome murder of her grandmother, Agatha Gamell, is currently hospitalised at the psychiatric ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital under police guard.

Stephanie, a mother of a newborn, relatives say, has been grappling with post-partum depression and went berserk on Sunday last. She reportedly slit her grandmother’s throat, cut off her hair, threw salt around the body and then wandered over to a neighbour and attempted to hand over her one-month-old baby, claiming the child was dead.

Region Two Commander, Khemraj Shivbaran, on Wednesday told the News Room that investigators have not been able to get a statement from Stephanie.

“She has to do evaluation and medical treatment. We are not in a position to say when she is going to be discharged,” Commander Shivbaran stated.

Had the woman been diagnosed and treated for post-partum depression, relatives believe she would not have committed the gruesome act.

Agatha Gamell of Charity, Essequibo Coast was found dead 15 minutes after neighbours heard her screaming in the wee hours of Sunday.

Agatha’s daughter, Simone Gamell, had told the News Room that the night before, the young woman rubbed salt all over her mother’s skin and plastered her face with lime.

Simone said the teacher started acting strangely just after giving birth to her first child.

Simone detailed that after delivering her baby, the teacher was extremely jealous of anyone touching the infant and accused family members of trying to take her baby away from her.

A day before the incident, the teacher also accused her husband of being unfaithful and left for her grandmother’s house.

Relatives say that sending the teacher to jail will not help.