A murder every month in deadly ‘gold bush’

Aug 22, 2011 News

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A toxic mix of gold, greed and alcohol has resulted in a spate of brutal murders in the interior, many of which are still to be solved.
This has resulted in E and F Divisions having at least one murder every month for the year.
The pattern began on January 11, when 14-year-old Elton Thompson of South Rupununi, was battered to death at Chinese Creek, Puruni, while he and another Guyanese were imbibing with two Brazilian nationals.

One of the Brazilians, identified as Frank Rebeiro, allegedly beat the teen to death during an argument. He was arrested and charged.
In late February, the partially decomposed body of Andy Whyte, 40, was found on a trail along Eyelash Backdam in the North West District.
The remains were found while police were probing a missing-person report made to Port Kaituma Police Station by Whyte’s reputed wife.
Police were told that Whyte had left in the company of another man for Eye Lash Backdam and had not returned. Although an associate of the victim was detained, the case remains unsolved.
In March, 36-year-old Conrad Semple went to the assistance of a woman who was being assaulted at Konawaruk.
One of the woman’s assailants stabbed Semple in the back, and he succumbed on the way to the city.
In April, a miner known as Shane got into an argument with another man at Pamela Backdam, Mahdia. The man retaliated by stabbing ‘Shane’ in the chest.
The victim was taken to the Mahdia Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
An over-indulgence in alcohol is believed to have caused the murder of Moruca resident Charles Atkinson. His body, with a gunshot wound, was fished out of a river in late April.
According to reports, Atkinson and another man had consumed alcohol together prior to the shooting. However, they later began arguing and the ‘friend’ subsequently took out a firearm, shot Atkinson and threw his body into the river.
The suspect fled but was later apprehended by residents.
A few days earlier, miner Fabian George was hacked to death during an argument with another man with whom he was drinking at Kariako, Moruca.
That suspect also fled but was subsequently arrested.
The murders had led E and F Divisional Commander David Ramnarine to state that there seems to be a bigger problem than just law enforcement when it comes to the high incidence of murder in the interior.

“It is clear that the tolerance level of these men in these mining areas is very low or limited and it also seems that their ability to restrain themselves from violent behaviour is directly affected by their consumption of intoxicating drink,” the Commander had told Kaieteur News.
“To my mind this is a bigger social problem than just the effort of law enforcement,” Ramnarine said.
But robbery appeared to be the motive for the death of 49 year-old Lawrence Martindale.
In May, the fish vendor’s body was found at the Port Kaituma waterfront. He had been stabbed several times.
The dead man’s wife said she had spoken to her husband who was a fish vendor hours before receiving the news of his death.
According to the woman, Semple had related to her that he had already sold off a catch of fish and he would be posting some money to her the following day.
In May, 20-year-old Berry Williams was brought out by two men from the backdam to the Mahdia Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
He was later transferred to the GPHC where he succumbed.
A few days later, Arturo Castilla Balcazar, a Venezuelan shopkeeper, was shot dead at Eteringbang, near the Guyana/Venezuela border, allegedly during a dispute over raw gold. Reports are that Balcazar was shot while travelling in a boat with his wife and three other persons on the Guyana side of the border with Venezuela.
A rank from the Guyana Defence Force was subsequently arrested and charged with manslaughter.
In June, another foreigner—Brazilian Edel Alemba Passos, 51, –was stabbed to death at Ikawan, Cuyuni River, during an argument with another man.
Then in late June, another miner was stabbed in the neck at Black Water, Mahdia.
He succumbed while being transported to the Mahdia Hospital.
The high price of gold has made tempers short, and in early July, a group of men clubbed 54-year-old miner Alan Welch to death at 14 Miles, Issano.
The suspects are all part of a mining operation with which Welch had been working when he was killed.
According to reports, Welch of Bagotville, West Bank Demerara, was bludgeoned to death by fellow miners using tree limbs and other pieces of wood after they accused him of stealing raw gold.
In August, 42-year-old Emanuel Evans was shot dead at Powis Backdam, Five Star, North West District.
He was shot in the chest while intervening in an argument between a relative, 23-year-old Ewart Hescott and another man. Hescott was shot in the groin.
According to a police press release, the two relatives went to a businessman’s shop where they requested goods on credit.  The businessman refused and an argument ensued during which it is alleged that the businessman pulled out a firearm and shot  Evans and Hescott.
The suspect fled the scene and is still to be arrested.
And two Tuesdays ago, Daniel Higgins Sr., 48, was shot dead and his son, 22-year-old son, Daniel Jr., was hacked to death at their Konawaruk mining camp.
The elder Higgins owned and operated a dredge and excavator.
A police release said that the victims were mining at around 10:45 hrs last Tuesday when a man approached and shot the elder Higgins about his body, while another man chopped his 22-year-old son to the neck.
The body of Daniel Higgins (Sr.) was found buried in a mining pit.
Kaieteur News understands that one of the killers forced the excavator operator at gunpoint to bury the body. An official said that the killers escaped with a small quantity of raw gold and cash.
From reports reaching this newspaper, the killers struck when most of the more seasoned crewmen were away from camp. Some had reportedly returned to the city for a wedding.
“The motive seems to be greed. These guys were recently recruited,” a source said. “They did not know anything about mining. They saw a little ‘wash-down’ (gold) and began to make demands.”
Police have the names of some of the suspects but the killers are reportedly still at large.

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