Murder of Claire Broadbridge
2017 murder in Trinidad and Tobago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Claire Broadbridge (August 1937 – 2 September 2017) was a Trinidadian conservationist and museum curator who was murdered in 2017. The brutality of the crime brought attention towards violence against women and is one of the most high-profile crimes in the history of Trinidad and Tobago.[1][2]
| Murder of Claire Broadbridge | |
|---|---|
| Location | St. Ann's |
| Date | 2 September 2017 |
| Target | Claire Broadbridge |
Attack type | Stabbing |
| Deaths | 1 |
Background
Doctor Claire Broadbridge was a former curator of the National Museum and Art Gallery.[3] She served as Director of the National Museum from 1983 to 1997.[4] In this role she had such responsibilities as art conservation of artefacts such as paintings of Michel-Jean Cazabon.[5] Among her accomplishments include the conservation of the Holy Name Convent Chapel, Fort San Andres and the marine archaeological exploration of Scarborough Harbour in Tobago.[6] She was a member of the Hayes Court Restoration Committee.[7] She was director at Heritage Development Consultants.[8] She had an interest in conserving the heritage of Trinidad and Tobago.[9] After retiring Claire Broadbridge worked with the Smithsonian Institution.[10] Her son Stephen Broadbridge is an environmentalist and photographer.[11] Her niece Daniela Fifi is also a curator who directed the museum and has been honoured by the British Arts Council for her work.[12]
Murder
On 2 September 2017, Dr Broadbridge was found dead at her home at Fondes Amandes Road in the St Ann's area of Port of Spain.[13] Authorities were alerted by reports of smoke.[14] Her body was discovered in a bedroom, after responding firefighters extinguished the fire which partially destroyed the living room.[15] She had been stabbed twice and had her throat slit.[4] Investigators suspected a home invasion gone wrong.[16] Pieces of furniture had been set on fire in an apparent attempt to destroy any evidence.[17] The forensic pathologist believed that the murder weapon was a kitchen knife.[18] Stephen Broadbridge criticised the Forensic Sciences Centre calling it a "national disgrace" regarding the long wait for the autopsy process.[19] The case brought attention to crime in the country.[20][21] The murder of Claire Broadbridge was the country's 321st such crime of 2017.[22] In the same week, the murder of Ramdevi Singh, another elderly woman who was killed in nearby Chaguanas also received media attention.[23][24]
On 6 September, her funeral was held at the Church of the Assumption in Maraval.[25] The Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi was in attendance.[26] Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts Nyan Gadsby-Dolly expressed her condolences.[27] She said Dr Broadbridge would be "remembered for her invaluable contribution to the national museum and art gallery and praised her for her years of selfless service".[3] The founder of women's rights group Womantra, Stephanie Leitch, said she was “rattled” by the murder of Dr Broadbridge who was a relative of hers.[28] Stephen Broadbridge was critical of politicians and the police following the murder.[29]