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Michelle Williams, 50, bluntly rejected claims being circulated in public that she was responsible for the death of her one-year-old granddaughter Sariah Williams-Parris. Williams professed her innocence and love for Sariah at her funeral service at the family's home at Hellshire Avenue, Tarodale on Saturday.
Sariah was chopped to death during a family quarrel at Williams' home at Sion Drive in Tarodale on September 19. Neville Simon, 58, was later charged by police for Sariah's murder. Simon was also charged with maliciously wounding Williams and her 33-year-old daughter Nikita Williams, Sariah's mother
At the funeral, relatives were inconsolable as the small white casket was opened to allow them to see Sariah for a final time before she was buried at the nearby St Clements Cemetery.
Nikita, 33, had to be physically held up by relatives. Some of Sariah's siblings openly cried. Wearing a T-shirt with Sariah's face on it, Williams said, "I will never ever hurt my grandchild." As a relative moved to console her, Williams said, "I have to talk. I fed up get blame. All her blood was on my clothes."
She said many people who were talking about Sariah's death had no idea what happened. Williams said people did not know how she and Nikita tried to protect Sariah.
"It happened so fast but I love that child. I have to stand up for what I believe is right." Williams said Sariah was an angel and "the life of the house." She believed that in death, Sariah had now become a guardian angel. "That child is the angel for the whole family to come together."
Sariah's aunt, Kamaria Simon, was lost for words to express her feelings. "I don't know what to say." At one point during the funeral, Kamaria paused as a stray cat walked under Sariah's casket and stared at her for a minute before leaving. The cat was later replaced by a dog which sat quietly at the foot of the casket for a large part of the service. She remembered Sariah as "a beautiful angel" who she bought many things for. She confessed to feeling uncomfortable about speaking about any relative in the past tense.
Pastor Farouk Mohammed of the El-Bethel Community Church of the Nazarene said this was the first time he conducted a funeral service for a baby. "I wish to God that I don't have to do another one."
[caption id="attachment_915097" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Nikita Williams weeps for her slain one-year-old daughter Sariah alongside mourners, some recording the moment on cell phones, during the child's funeral at the family home in Tarodale on Saturday. - Photo by Marvin Hamilton[/caption]
As he prayed for Sariah's family, Mohammed also asked her relatives and friends to pray for the accused, Neville Simon.
He did not believe that Sariah's death was senseless. "The devil works in ways that makes us wonder." Mohammed believed that evil spirits create mental blocks in people's minds, makes them commit unspeakable acts and then leaves them with unrelenting remorse.
While he, his wife Vilma, also a pastor, and other members of the church had been visiting Sariah's family since her death, Mohammed wondered how many of the people at the funeral would check up on the family after Saturday. "Ask yourself that question, one week from today."
Mohammed said he has three grandchildren and one of them reminds him a lot of Sariah.
Vilma said now was not the time to be pointing fingers of blame at anyone. She lamented that many people do not understand the responsibilities that come with being parents. Vilma also regretted that many children lack the moral values that would prevent them from following the wrong path in their lives. "We are playing with life. Did the baby (Sariah) ask to die like this? No! We are not born to be killed."
Recalling her memories of Sariah, Vilma said she often found the child to be sad whenever she saw her. She remembered touching Sariah's face one time and she smiled at her.
She lamented that during the covid19 pandemic, the church had not been able to conduct Sunday school classes for children as they would have liked. Vilma said these classes not only helped to instill good morals in children but offered things as simple as breakfast to them as well. "Many (children) did not have a cup of tea or a Crix on the table."
St Madeleine Government Primary School principal Michael Diljohn said some of Sariah's siblings were students at the school. In expressing condolences to the family, Diljohn said the school was there to help in any way it could.
 
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