Teri Nichols, the wife of slain US missionary, 53-year-old Harold Nichols, was left with a feeling of frustration following the non-appearance of the lawyers for the men accused of killing her partner and another missionary, Randy Hentzel.
The case was set for hearing before the St Mary Parish Court on Thursday, February 2, but the prosecution was not ready for the hearing as additional documents were to be served on the lawyers in the case. None of the legal aid attorneys was in court and the hearing has been pushed back to February 16.
The men accused of the killing, 25-year-old Andre Thomas of Port Maria and 25-year-old Dwight Henry, alias Duggie, Chin or Chino, were remanded into custody.
FRUSTRATED
“I am frustrated today (Thursday, February 2) that their (the accused men) attorneys didn’t show up, but I’m glad they’re in custody,” Mrs Nichols, explained after the case was called up in court.
She said that seeing the men, who are alleged to have killed her husband made her feel physically ill and sick to her stomach.
“I tell you it (seeing the accused men) almost made me physically ill, sick to my stomach to see that just two young guys have affected so many people… It is very difficult to think that two people that did a crime would have such an effect on children, grandchildren, wives, mothers and a ministry that is crippled right now,” Mrs Nichols explained.
Teri Nichols and her husband, Harold, along with Randy Hentzel and his wife, Sara, were members of the Pennsylvania- based religious organization called Teams for Medical Missions that had been in Jamaica since the 1990s.
Teri and Harold Nichols had been living in Jamaica since 2002, where they did evangelism and Bible ministry, built homes and provided health care to many citizens in Jamaica, especially in St Mary. Randy Hentzel was also in Jamaica for several years helping Teams for Medical Missions.
It was alleged that on April 30, 2016, Harold Nichols and Randy Hentzel were killed on their way to check on the foundation of a home they were building for a needy family in the Albion Mountain area.
MISSION CRIPPLED
Last Thursday, Mrs Nichols explained that since the death of her husband, the ministry has been greatly affected.
VERY SAD
“A ministry… is crippled right now, because of the paper work that governments put on Sara (Hentzel’s wife) and I. We can’t sell our vehicles, we can’t sell our assets, because those stuff were in our husbands’ names and so now literally our ministry now doesn’t even have vehicles right now, because of them having to probate our will,” she explained.
She went on to add that everything has changed with the ministry as it struggles to continue.
“So we are going through huge struggle with our ministry just to bring in the medical teams, so it (the murders) has a long reaching effect. So many people’s lives have been changed. Everything has changed. My life has changed. We are all changed and it’s not been for the good. It’s just very sad,” Mrs Nichols said, sadly.
Mrs Nichols indicated that members of her neighbourhood in Boscobel, have been very supportive and other persons, including pastors and friends have been equally showing support.
GOV’T SUPPORT NEEDED
However, she pointed out that she could have gotten more support from the government.
“I could have used a little more support from the Jamaican government. Just because of the legalities that Sara (Hentzel’s wife) and I are tied up with right now, it seems to me that they (the government) would have made this a little easier for us instead of (us) struggling so much. That has been hard,” Mrs Nichols lamented.
NO CHILDREN MINISTRY
The tears almost came when Mrs Nichols pointed out that the bottom line was that the ministry that she and her husband had was over.
“The bottom line is we have had to stop my husband’s and I ministry; it’ over, it’s done. We can’t do children ministries anymore, because that’s over 100 children. I can’t do that by myself. Everything has just ceased,” she said, painfully.
CAN’T CONTINUE IN JAMAICA
When asked if she was hoping that in the future she would be able to continue the ministry, Mrs Nichols said that she didn’t think that she would be able to continue in Jamaica.
“I don’t think I will be able to continue in Jamaica. I had thought I’d be able to stay, but I am planning on leaving. I can’t handle the stress of this court and the police and everywhere I go, I am recognized, because of my husband’s murder or the missionaries’ murder. Every single day it’s in my face whether at the grocery or in Kingston, no matter where I go. I can’t just keep doing this year after year,” Mrs Nichols said.
TREMENDOUS IMPACT
Pastor Paul Hemmings of the Boscobel Bible Fellowship and the Highgate Gospel Chapel, who was also at the court last Thursday, to lend support, said that the end of the children’s ministry would have a tremendous impact.
“Well it will impact tremendously in a negative way. Like Teri (Nichols) said, the children they would have been offering care for, not just spiritual care, but social care, all of that will be lost, unless someone else picks it up, But it is not as easy… There are lots of logistics in getting a missionary here… But we continue to dialogue,” he explained.
CAPTION
Teri Nichols (right), the wife of slain US missionary, Harold Nichols, listens to pastor Paul Hemmings (left) as he speaks to members of the media outside the St Mary Parish Court in Port Maria, St Mary last Thursday.
