Hit-man collected $30,000 advance

Jun 01, 2010 News

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-taxi driver caught with $170,000

-husband, killer for court today

By Michael Jordan

Dennis Persaud, the 55-year-old businessman who allegedly plotted his young spouse’s brutal death, is to be charged today with murder, along with his 22-year-old ‘hit man’ Troy Green, who allegedly did the job.
The Director of Public Prosecutions returned a report to the police yesterday with instructions that Persaud and Green should both be charged with the murder of Persaud’s 23-year-old reputed wife Bibi Rafeena Saymar.
But police are still trying to establish whether they can charge the taxi driver who allegedly transported the killer and was reportedly caught red-handed with a portion of the cash that was to be handed over after the deed was done.
Kaieteur News understands that Persaud has already hired a prominent city attorney known for handling high-profile cases.
An autopsy yesterday confirmed that Saymar sustained eleven stab wounds. Death was due to shock and hemorrhage.
According to information provided to Kaieteur News, Persaud and Greene met some two weeks ago in Georgetown.
Some time later, Persaud allegedly informed Green that he wanted his reputed wife killed.
Initially, Green was allegedly promised US$1,500 but this was not forthcoming. The offer then shifted to $200,000 in local currency. Green reportedly accepted this sum.
According to Green’s statement to police, the businessman gave him a $30,000 ‘advance’ and instructed him on how he could enter the couple’s Lot 22, Hague Jib flat and kill Saymar.
“Go through the window and f—her up.”
The businessman reportedly told his hit-man that the 23-year-old hairdresser slept with her bedroom window open. The hit-man alleged that he was told that he could go through the window.
During the early hours of Saturday, a taxi driver from Zeelugt, West Coast Demerara dropped the killer to Hague.
Troy Green allegedly entered Saymar’s bedroom via the open window. He then dragged the sleeping woman from her bed and stabbed her repeatedly until her screams subsided.
The killer reportedly then wrapped the murder weapon in a sheet and towel and left the house. He then reportedly placed the items in the trunk of the taxi that had brought him to the scene and headed back to Georgetown.
But Saymar’s screams had awoken one of her neighbours, who saw a man fitting Green’s description leaving the premises.
He alerted some of the other residents and contacted the police.
Almost immediately, suspicion fell on Saymar’s reputed husband, who reportedly arrived at the scene some 15 minutes after the neighbours were alerted.
An eyewitness stated that after Persaud was informed that something was amiss in the flat, the businessman parked his pickup, shut the vehicle, and put on the alarm before entering his premises.
After finding the dying woman on the floor, the neighbours, and police ranks who eventually arrived, took Saymar outside.
She was placed in the reputed husband’s pickup and he took her to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Residents recalled that he showed little emotion about the brutal attack on his spouse.
The murder plot began to unravel shortly after police took Persaud into custody, and Green, the ‘hit-man’, began to contact Persaud by mobile phone to arrange a meeting.
Listening in on the conversations, police overheard Green enquiring about the businessman’s whereabouts.
Green informed Persaud that he was waiting by the Demerara Harbour Bridge, and Persaud said that he was at Zeelugt and was heading to meet Green.
The ranks, in three police vehicles and accompanied by Persaud, then headed to the Harbour Bridge where they found Greene waiting in a taxi. Police explained that this was not the same taxi driver who collected the money for the hit man.
According to police, Greene began co-operating almost immediately with the investigators.
In response, Persaud reportedly told police that he had told Greene to go to Saymar’s flat and collect something from her, but he did not know that Greene would have killed her.
However, police said that Persaud omitted this claim in a caution statement he gave to detectives.
Greene also identified the Zeeburg taxi driver who had taken him to and from Hague.
Acting on this information, the investigators nabbed the driver in the vicinity of Leonora.
They allegedly found $170,000 in the man’s car.
Police sources said that the hit-man heard the man speaking before he entered the station and identified the driver by his voice.
When the cash was placed in front of him, the ‘hit-man’ correctly told the police that the money amounted to $170,000.
In response to the hit-man’s claims that the murder weapon and bloody sheet and towel were placed in the car trunk, detectives searched the vehicle but failed to find the items.
According to a source, the man’s car trunk was unusually clean.
Kaieteur News understands that the same taxi driver was charged last year for being in possession of a grenade. He was placed on $300,000 bail. However, after several postponements, the matter was thrown out of court.
In an interview with Kaieteur News, ‘D’ Division Commander Assistant Commissioner Gavin Primo lauded his ranks for solving the case.
“I am gratified that they put so much effort into solving this matter in such a short space of time. It was due to hard and diligent work. This was no ordinary murder. It was deliberately planned and they had to do a lot of groundwork to make an impact.”

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