Nekesha Holdipp reflects on her husband George Lynch and his murderers

By Gareth Finighan

The widow of murder victim George Lynch has finally broken her silence — a week after two men were found guilty of shooting dead her husband in what prosecutors described as a tragic case of mistaken identity.

Nekesha Holdipp told The Royal Gazette she had forgiven her husband’s killers and hoped they would eventually “find peace through God”.

Ms Holdipp also expressed her heartache at the fact that her children will never again hear the voice of their father and that her youngest daughter — now almost four — will never meet the man she described as supportive, caring, outgoing and willing to sacrifice everything for his family.

Ms Holdipp was six-months pregnant when her husband was shot dead while visiting a Hamilton Parish neighbour one evening in May 2010.

Earlier that day, the neighbour had given evidence in a gang-related Supreme Court trial and subsequently became the target of a revenge attack by gun-wielding hit men.

Last week, East Side Crew members Rickai Dickinson and Wolda Garnder were found guilty of the premeditated murder of Mr Lynch in what prosecutors described as a “particularly tragic” case involving “an innocent man in the wrong place at the wrong time”. Dickinson and Gardner will be sentenced next month.

Reacting to the verdicts last night, Ms Holdipp said that the ruling was “bittersweet” in that, while it brought some accountability, it would never bring back her beloved husband — who would have been 45 today.

“The police and court did their job and for that I am appreciative, but God has been my pillar from the night I got the call, through to the night I delivered our last child alone, until now,” she said.

“I’ve asked God, why? I’ve gone through a range of emotions, but I am confident that God will bring us through this and I can only do what He asks, which is forgive these men.

“I can only hope they find their peace with God. Time will not heal this wound but will allow us to learn to cope with it and God will be our comfort, easing the pain as we move forward.

“For us, closure comes in not having to go to court anymore, not having to wonder who was responsible.”

Born and raised in Jamaica, where he attended the prestigious Kingston College, Mr Lynch moved to Canada, attained several degrees at York University, and pursued his chartered management accountant designation.

Though a Canadian citizen, “he sacrificed for love, giving up his Canadian life and followed me to Bermuda,” Mrs Holdipp said

“He wanted to settle in Canada, but he sacrificed for love, giving up his Canadian life and followed me to Bermuda,” Ms Holdipp, a former Police officer, said.

“He was a very outgoing person and that’s how we met. George worked with several professors at York University and I held an executive position in a student organisation he helped found, so when he was on campus, he would come by and talk.

“He carried this outgoing nature to Bermuda and after he died, I heard about the conversations he had with people from all walks of life. He encouraged people to go back to school and achieve their dreams.”

Currently living in Toronto, Ms Holdipp plans to return to Bermuda having completed a teacher-training diploma programme in early childhood education.

Although she never attended the six-week long trial of her husband’s killers, her mother Rita Woolridge was a constant fixture in the courtroom.

After the jury delivered their verdicts, an emotional Mrs Woolridge said: “George was a very hard working, determined, well-educated husband and father.

“He left everything he accomplished in Canada and moved to Bermuda to start a new life with his wife and children and now they don’t have him at all.

“My grandchildren will grow up without a father. It’s not George’s fault they don’t have a dad. He did everything right by his wife and children.

“It’s important that they know that and know that their father was a good man. The men that killed him don’t seem to care about what they have done. It is so sad, so very sad.”

Asked how the death of her “true friend” had affected her children — son Enaharo, 14, and daughters Emoy, eight, Eshe, six, and Etana, three, Ms Holdipp said: “My family will forever be incomplete.

“My children will never have their father again. They will only see him in pictures. They will never hear his voice.

“Having lost my father to illness, I know that as they get older, the void will be felt more.

“It’s bad enough that Father’s Day celebrations remind them that he’s not here but there are times in a girl’s life that she needs her dad and they won’t have him. So many birthdays and school celebrations missed.

“It was a big sacrifice leaving a good paying office job with the school board in Toronto.

“It wasn’t easy for him to find work in Bermuda, but not regretting his decision, he finally got a job at Bermuda Hospital and Agape House.

“It was very important to him that he cared for his family. As a father, he loved his children and took my son as his own.

“He liked playing with the girls. He helped my son with his homework and took interest in his activities.

“He even went to a scout’s weekend camp with my son. George was so excited about becoming a father again.

“He was so looking forward to it and telling everyone about it.

“In the time leading up to his death, he was looking forward to our newest addition — the girl child he didn’t live to see born.”