The peace and calm was shattered this week in the quiet little village of Las Lomas, Trinidad, when a local pastor, Vishnu Lutchmansingh, who converted to Christianity from Hinduism about 30 years ago, killed his brother, ran over his nephew and then shot himself while burning down his house.
The suicidal pastor, first shot to the public spotlight in 2003, when he claimed an alleged billion dollar inheritance from an American businessman, although it is doubtful if those claims were genuine, because he was indicted in an embezzlement scam.
The 54-year-old former Hindu, who had reportedly constantly been fighting with his younger brother, Krishan Lutchmansingh, drew a gun during their recent argument and shot him to death.
Lutchmansingh then proceeded to flee the scene of the crime by getting into his car and driving to his property a little distance away, where, after breaking through a barricade blocking the entrance, he proceeded to shoot his nephew’s car several times.
The pastor then continued his rampage of violence by running over his nephew, Timothy Janitan, with his car. When he didn’t succeed in killing him on his first attempt, he calmly backed over his nephew again in the hopes of finishing the job.
However, Janitan survived the attack and was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility for treatment for his injuries.
Lutchmansingh, who was appearing in court on fraud charges, then went into his house and set it on fire.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, a short while later, they found the enraged pastor’s body burnt beyond recognition under the smoldering ruins of his house. It is believed that Lutchmansingh shot himself after setting fire to the house, but investigators will wait until a post mortem has been performed before confirming that suspicion.
A man, who identified himself only as having worked with the pastor, said that Lutchmansingh’s nephew had stolen from the pastor and his brother was always fighting with him.
Reportedly, Lutchmansingh was accused of over 80 fraud violations, including the documents that supported his claims to having inherited several billion dollars from an American businessman, Buford Keaton, in 2003. Keaton’s son, Doyen Keaton, allegedly testified against Lutchmansingh in 2010, claiming that he had obtained his father’s money under false pretenses.
