By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A JAMAICAN woman stabbed to death in her own home was one of two persons killed in separate incidents over the weekend, bringing the country's murder count to 107 for the year so far.

The first victim, Tamar Pennerman, 37, of Malaysia Way, Elizabeth Estates, is believed to have been connected with a shooting incident last week.

According to reports, he was standing in front of a home in Elizabeth Estates around 11.50pm on Friday when neighbors said they heard multiple gun shots and a fence being rattled.

Responding to the disturbance, the neighbors said they found a man on the ground outside with multiple gun shot wounds about his body.

The suspect, who is believed to have used a handgun to do the shooting, left the scene on a motorcycle.

Well placed sources have also identified the second murder victim as Tamara Matthews, a Jamaican national.

According to reports, sometime around 4.40am yesterday Matthews' roommate went to her upstairs apartment at Kossy Harbour on West Bay Street. After opening the door, she noticed a pool of blood and blood marks that led to a bedroom. Upon following the trail she found the deceased partly nude, lying face up in a pool of blood with wounds to her head.

After being notified, police officers searched the residence, finding no official identification––only a ticket with the name of the deceased, her November 6th, 1985 date of birth and the name of her hometown, St Sago St Catherine Jamaica.

The latest murders come several days after Prime Minister Perry Christie said his government is developing a strategy that will add more manpower and new levels of resources to the fight against crime.

Last year, 111 persons were murdered.