They ended her son's life with one of the most brutal killings Bermuda has ever seen, and dragged his name through the mud with a string of hurtful allegations in a high-profile month-long trial.

But Sharmila Gonsalves is praying for forgiveness for the three men convicted of murdering father-of-two Matthew Clarke (see main story).

Resisting the temptation to lambast Shannon Tucker, Vernon Simons and Kyle Sousa, Mrs. Gonsalves told The Royal Gazette: "With all of this, hopefully something can come out of it. Maybe somebody's life will be changed, somebody can turn their life around. Hopefully it will affect some of the young people. They will read these things and feel that's the wrong way to travel.

"I'm asking God to forgive them. It's a great sin, what they have done. I believe when it's their time before God, nothing can cleanse their hands but the mercy of God. I pray for them and their family and for everybody that's affected by this.

"I'm angry, I'm upset that I have lost my son and the way he went. I'm angry at the fact he's not here, the way they killed him.

"But anger is a very devious, destructive thing. If I am angry I won't be able to take care of the people here. There's a God; I put it in the hands of God that he will take care of it and he will deal with it."

The devastated mother, who spent numerous hours alongside her son as they developed East Meets West restaurant in Southampton which was one day meant to become Mr. Clarke's, found the Supreme Court trial impossible to handle.

Apart from when she was called as a witness, Mrs. Gonsalves stayed away from the trial, desperately wanting to avoid hearing how her son was mercilessly butchered in his own bed — stabbed 26 times before his lifeless body was discovered by his fiancee Charlitta Spencer on April 9 last year.

Then there were the accusations against Mr. Clarke.

Backed into a corner as evidence increasingly mounted up against them, the defendants painted a picture of Mr. Clarke as the mastermind of a drugs operation.

Each blamed the others for the murder, and the reasons they gave tended to centre around what they claimed was Mr. Clarke's drugs lifestyle.

The only thing Mrs. Gonsalves has been able to do is cling to her memories of the Matthew Clarke that she knew.

"Matthew's my son. I knew the type of person he was and the qualities he had. Nothing has changed," she said.

"Matthew was such a well-known and well-loved man not only here, but also in the United States and a number of Caribbean islands. He was loved. Many people have felt his loss.

"A lot of people have been talking to me, saying: 'Why him? Why Matthew? Why such a nice guy?'"

Michael Clarke, Matthew's older brother, followed the case through the newspapers.

He said: "Regarding the court case and the accusations made by the defendants about my brother even a person who doesn't know anything about the defendants it seems reading these accounts they are giving on the stand, there's a lot of flip-flopping, fabrication and contradictory statements.

"As far as I am aware, Shannon imported drugs in a machine part for his business. He went away with Vernon. He picked it up when it came in. He was arrested along with his co-conspirator. They were charged.

"My brother had never been charged or convicted for any sort of drug crimes in his entire life."

Matthew, a songwriter and producer, was described as a devoted family man, with a twin sister Michelle and younger sister Promila as well as Michael, and two young children Attiyah and Matteo.

Perhaps one of the cruelest lies then, was Shannon's claim that he and Matthew were long-time friends, and that he was the godfather of Matthew's first child.

Michael argued they were friendly acquaintances but nothing more.

"Matthew had a lot of friends, people who he was a lot closer to than Shannon," he said. "I know most of his time was spent at the business, with his children or with cousins and close friends."

Just over a year has passed since the murder but even yesterday's verdict hasn't brought complete closure.

The family still live in the North Shore house where Matthew was killed, and his mother goes into his room every day to light candles.

"There's been a lot of praying to get my strength, to get me through; praying to the Lord; to get that strength to be strong for his kids and my family," said Mrs. Gonsalves.

"It hasn't been easy at all. There's been times when I get upset, get angry: those guys.

"I didn't know the extent of what they did to Matthew until I read it in the paper. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, I was going around with a heavy heart. I have never heard of anything like that on the Island.

"The thing that hurts the most is that he knew who did this to him. I don't think for me it's ever going to be normal again. At one point, I just felt fed up, just really fed up.

"Many days, I'm going to work, I'm crying. Many nights I'm coming home, I will just sit in the car, just feeling the loss. It's really hard, really hard."

And even life sentences aren't enough for Michael.

"If there was any justice they wouldn't be able to see their families again," he said. "They would have to work to support the family of the person that they killed Matthew's two kids who haven't got a father any more.

"Kyle looks like he's put on 20 pounds since he's been locked up. They are healthier. My brother's gone. Where is the corresponding support for families of victims?"