Residents stage vigil, concert for slain missionaries

Scores of residents gathered in Stewart Town, St Mary on Saturday night at a vigil and gospel concert to celebrate the memory of two American missionaries killed in the parish last weekend.

The bodies of Randy Hentzel, 48, and Harold Nichols, 53, were found in bushes along a dirt road in Albion Mountain, where they were traveling on motorbikes.

The event was organized by the St Mary Minister's Fraternal and councillor Fitzroy Wilson of the Boscobel division, along with others from the church and political life.

Residents  lifted their voices in song and joined hands as they remembered the two missionaries.

Reverend Al Miller was also present at the event and he urged the residents to not be deterred by the slaying of the men.He called on residents to unite and help the police with any information as the killers had to be brought to justice.

Randy Hentzel was from Donnellson, Iowa, and had five children with his wife, Sara. Harold Nichols hailed from Randolph, New York, and is survived by his wife, Teri.

The men and their wives worked for a Pennsylvania-based religious organization called Teams for Medical Missions that has been in Jamaica since 1990. They did evangelism and Bible ministry, built homes and provided health care.

They were apparently killed last week Saturday on their way to check on the foundation of a home they were building for a needy family.

Hentzel was found with his hands bound and shot, while Nichols was shot and chopped.