Police officials in Exuma said the man they believe is responsible for that island’s first murder for the year is a mental patient with a history of psychological issues.

In fact, police told the Bahama Journal that the murder suspect has been admitted to the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre four times in his life, with his last stint ending in May.

It was around 4:00 p.m. on Monday when police said they got a call that a man had been murdered in Curtis, Exuma at the hands of his machete-wielding relative.

The victim has since been identified as Ricardo Rolle.

According to police, the suspect grabbed a cutlass and chopped Rolle to the back of the head multiple times.

He died at the scene and is the country’s 69th murder victim for the year so far.

Family members told police that they heard the two men arguing outside the family home, but up to 10:30 Monday night, police said they still had no idea what the row was about.

Up to press time yesterday, Exuma police also said that the suspect was still on that island in police custody and is expected to be flown into the capital sometime today.

As for Rolle, police said his body was expected to arrive at the city morgue at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) around noon yesterday.