By JUAN McCARTNEY, & KRYSTEL ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporters

Marvin Wilson, a 31-year-old Jamaican national and reported homosexual, became the nation's latest murder victim after he was stabbed in the chest at his Collins Avenue apartment in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Wilson's reported sexuality and the violent nature of his death adds to the concern surrounding several high profile murders that have taken place on New Providence over the past eight months.

Well-known anti-AIDS activist Wellington Adderley was recently found dead in his Delancey Street apartment. There was reportedly no sign of forced entry. According to reports, his throat was severely slit.

International handbag designer, Harl Taylor and College of The Bahamas dean and lecturer, Dr. Thaddeus McDonald were also both brutally slain late last year. Police have yet to file any charges in connection with those killings. The men's homes were located in the same vicinity and there was also no sign of forced entry.

All three men, like Wilson, were reportedly homosexual.

Wilson, who reportedly had permanent residency status in The Bahamas, died at the Princess Margaret Hospital Tuesday morning from his wounds, police said yesterday.

According to police sources, Wilson was found in his boxer shorts and socks. It was suggested last night that police believe Wilson's assailant had not planned the attack, given that the murder weapon reportedly came from Wilson's own knife collection.

Wilson was a waiter at the popular downtown restaurant Senor Frog's for the past four years.

Inspector Christopher Wright of the Homicide Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force said that before he died from stab wounds, shortly after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, Wilson knocked on the door of a neighbor at the Gregory House apartment complex on Rusty Bethel Drive, off Collins Avenue, in a plea for help.

"Officers responded and upon their arrival they met a male lying here. He was unresponsive and he had stab wounds to the body. EMS personnel was summoned here and that body was transported to the hospital and upon arrival (he) was pronounced dead," Wright said.

Wright said police believe that before he knocked on the door of his neighbor's apartment there was a scuffle with another person inside Wilson's home. Wright said Wilson was stabbed in the chest during the fight.

"What we can say to you is we have forensic evidence at that scene to suggest this particular male was in a struggle with somebody," he said.

"We don't know who that particular person is but we want to make an appeal to the public or persons who may have been in that area during that time of the morning who may have seen something suspicious to please come forward and contact the police on our crime tip line which is 328-8477."

Wright said there was no evidence of a home invasion or forced entry into Wilson's apartment.

Throughout the day yesterday, reports surfaced that Wilson was stabbed with a sword from his personal collection. Wright clarified those reports Tuesday afternoon.

"There was no sword retrieved from the scene, [but] there is a sword at the scene that belongs to the deceased," he said.

"What I can say to you is that there was a dagger that we suspect may have been the object of use was retrieved. That particular sword is in the possession of the police."

When The Nassau Guardian visited the scene of the murder early Tuesday, police forensic officials were outside the offices of J.S. Johnson Insurance and General Insurance Brokers demarcating blood spatter evidence.

Wright said that blood belonged to Wilson's murderer.

"We do believe that the person responsible for this matter may have received injuries and upon fleeing — because we know that the person responsible fled on foot — so we do believe that those blood stains may be those of the perpetrator and that is why that appeal is being made to persons," he said.

Gay and Lesbian rights activist Erin Greene told The Guardian following Adderley's murder that she was concerned by a "recent trend of gay slayings".

"Due to the vicious nature of these crimes and the fact that these are three prominent men who obviously knew each other and may or may not have socialized with each other we are not excluding that the murders could be related," Greene said.

"Whether it's a spree, there's no evidence to say that there is a person or a group of persons who are randomly targeting gay men or prominent gay men, we can't say that. But, it speaks to the high levels of intolerance of homophobia and the general levels of dysfunction in personal relationships."

Wright said: "There is no information or evidence to even suggest that this and Mr. Adderley's matter are related."

This latest murder brings the country's murder count for 2008 to 31.