Ronaldo Ricketts, the suspected serial killer that struck fear into the heart of Montego Bay, a prime tourist destination in Jamaica, was described by neighbors as a “decent, Christian boy”.
This narrative sharply contrasts with the image now painted by local authorities. According to them, Ricketts, 25, fits the chilling description of a “serial killer”.
Reports are that Ricketts, who detectives arrested, may be responsible for the murder of four individuals since July.
It was the violent abduction and subsequent attempted rape of a woman on August 30 that led to Ricketts’ capture.
He allegedly stabbed all of his victims to death and has reportedly confessed to the gruesome murders
A family and community in shock
A neighbor, reflecting on the situation, told the Jamaica Observer: “His parents are decent people; father decent, mother decent. I don’t know why he’s doing this to his parents.”
“I know him as a Christian, decent boy. He went to Barracks Road Primary and he then went to Herbert Morrison Technical where he passed a number of subjects.”
The weight of these allegations has deeply affected Ricketts’ family, leaving his parents “devastated”.
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The trail of victims: A timeline of terror
Reports are that the first known victim was an unidentified woman, believed to be in her 60s. Her lifeless body, bearing multiple stab wounds, was discovered on Jimmy Cliff Blvd on July 28.
It is reported that a later victim, Leonardo Lewis, 20, also known by the nicknames ‘Raheem’ or ‘Ackeem’, was tragically found by neighbors on August 9. He was found with stab wounds and succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
Ricketts has also been charged with the murders of two homeless men. Mark Thompson was stabbed to death on Aug. 19 while the second homeless man, slain on July 28, has not been identified.
Deepening mystery
Detectives have also begun to connect Ricketts to five other unsolved cases involving the deaths of homeless men.
Ricketts, who appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday is to undergo psychiatric evaluation.
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