Father of slain child dies two weeks after funeral

Approximately two weeks after his daughter Shani Coke was laid to rest, distraught father Aston Coke took his final breath on Thursday.

Denise, a relative, confirmed his death with THE WEEKEND STAR. She said that although he was battling colon cancer, Coke died of a broken heart.

“He was in emotional and physical pain because as expected he was not the same from his daughter was killed. He wasn’t happy and he didn’t even get a chance to go to her funeral because he was very ill. Everybody is really just broken hearted,” she said.

The partially nude body of little Shani was found in bushes in Tyre district in Troy, Trelawny, on July 21. Her throat was slashed and she was sexually assaulted. The tragedy sparked nationwide outrage. Shortly after the gruesome discovery, an angry mob attacked and killed a suspect in the community, leading to ongoing police investigations into both the child’s murder and the subsequent mob killing. A thanksgiving service for Shani’s life was held on the compound of Troy Primary School on August 29.

A day after her death, a grieving Coke told THE STAR that his daughter was ‘the nicest little girl you would have ever met’. Shani, the second of four daughters, was the pride of her neighbourhood - a bright, well-mannered angel who “mashed up” her academics at Troy Primary School.

Denise stated that earlier this week, Coke underwent an operation in Kingston and had returned to Mandeville Hospital where he died hours later.

“He did an operation to remove ... blood clots in his legs. He was at UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies) on Monday and came back to Mandeville Hospital in an ambulance. I talked to him last night (Wednesday) and he was in pain. Regardless, his voice was strong but you could hear the pain in his voice. He was saying that he was especially pain up after the drive back down and I told him to just pray,” she said.