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Ex-con’s battered body found in cemetery
Barker’s body in the cemetery
Residents of Soesdyke got an unpleasant surprise early yesterday morning when they discovered the battered body of an ex-convict in a nearby cemetery.
The partly-clad body of 36-year-old Rickford Barker, of Hyde Park, Timehri, was found at around 06:00 hrs in the cemetery, located near the Soesdyke main road.
Police say that the back of Barker’s head bore a gaping wound, while there were several abrasions on his back.
One source suggested that Barker may have been beaten with a fan-belt.
A pair of blue jeans and a pair of black sneakers, reportedly belonging to the slain man, were found a short distance from the body.
Police have received reports that Barker was the victim of a vigilante-style beating by persons who suspected that he had broken into a shop in the area.
Police and relatives confirmed that Barker was released from prison about a week ago. Most residents who spoke to Kaieteur News said that they heard nothing unusual, since it rained heavily on Friday night.
However, one resident said that she heard screams during the night, but assumed that youths in the neighbourhood were playing in the street.
Another resident said that she looked outside at around 05:00 hrs yesterday and saw a man, whom she believes was Barker, standing on the roadway near her home.
She said that she overheard someone saying: “Doan leh he move, wait till the police come fuh he.”
A relative of Barker’s said that he was at a shop when someone informed him that Barker was dead. This information was confirmed when he went to the cemetery and saw the body.
According to the relative, police found 29 sweets in one of Barker’s pockets. They believe that the sweets were part of the man’s ill-gotten gains from a burglary.
According to one report, the ex-convict and an accomplice had broken into a shop in the Soesdyke area.
The two men had reportedly gone for a ‘smoke’, when they were apprehended by a group of men.
According to the report, the men released Barker’s accomplice, but exacted vigilante justice on the ex-convict.
Kaieteur News understands that at least one of the suspects has been identified, but it is unclear whether he has been arrested.
An autopsy is likely to be performed on the body of Barker on Monday.
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