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Sophia murder suspect surrenders
A Sophia teenager wanted by police after reportedly stabbing his friend last week during a quarrel over cell phone credit, yesterday turned himself over to police, in the company of relatives and two Kaieteur News reporters.
Marcellus Verbeke, 19, of 767 ‘C’ Field Sophia, who asked Senior Reporters Dale Andrews and Leonard Gildarie to be present when he was surrendering, said that he was hiding in the cane fields since last Thursday. He said that he was persuaded by relatives to give himself up.
He called the newspaper early yesterday and made arrangements for a meeting at the Bank of Guyana.
Dale Andrews, interviewing wanted Sophia teen, Marcellus Verbeke
An uncle who works in the security department at the bank was also instrumental in taking him to the Brickdam Police Station.
Verbeke was expected to be transferred later to the police on East Coast Demerara in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred.
He is the prime suspect in the stabbing to death of Richard ‘Troy’ Skeete at C Field, Sophia last Thursday.
The wanted teen claimed that he was only acting in self defence when Skeete was stabbed.
According to Verbeke, he took away a knife from the 34-year-old Skeete after he was attacked.
He then used the weapon to stab the victim “three times”.
However, a post mortem examination revealed that Skeete was stabbed more than three times.
At the time of his surrender he was dressed in jeans, slippers and red golf shirt. He was waiting for the reporters at the Church Street main entrance of the Bank of Guyana at 10:00hrs.
Speaking on the incident, a nervous Verbeke who was accompanied by other family members, claimed that Skeete had been like a father figure to him and the two had worked on several construction jobs together.
But the relationship was a rocky one with Verbeke speaking of several incidents in which he was robbed of monies while working with Skeete.
One of the victim’s sisters, Jacqueline Skeete, told this publication that her brother had complained to persons that the suspect had taken away his cell phone and had used all the credit.
“He tell we that Monday night they went on the corner and Verbeke take he cell phone and run away and use out all the credit,”.
Skeete related that Thursday morning, her brother was leaving for work, around 07:30 hrs, when a friend called him in a yard.
“De boy call and all of dem stand up in de yard talking and same time he (suspect) pass and the same boy call he off and he go in the yard and hail up everybody.”
Verbeke was alleged to have calmly walked up to Skeete, hugged him and stabbed him three times.
The dead man’s reputed wife, Rhena Ann Williams, said Steeke and his ‘attacker’ were friends but recently had a ‘vibe’ over a cellular phone.
“Me boy does carry he in de interior fuh catch lil wuk. He does got he like a son”.
“He de carry me in the bush and we sell an engine and he ain’t give me anything,” Skeete explained though.
He said that Skeete would threaten to shoot him whenever he brought up the issue.
More recently, Verbeke claimed that he was working with Skeete but was short paid.
According to Verbeke, Skeete had claimed that it was the fault of the man that they had done the work for.
“I borrow he phone and put some credit and call the big man and tell he de money short.”
On Wednesday night, Verbeke said, he was playing dominoes at a shop in the Sophia area when Skeete came up and used a cutlass to “broadside” him.
“I run in de shop and he threaten fuh chop and shoot me. Me na had no problem with he.”
Verbeke claimed that on Thursday morning he was heading to a shop in Sophia when he was confronted by Skeete.
“He had a knife. Me na had no knife. He try to juk me and I get the knife and stab he three times.”
Skeete was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Verbeke said he immediately left and being afraid, he hid out in the cane fields for days before relatives convinced him to turn himself over to the police.
“I is 19…It na mek much sense to live like this all de time,” the teenager explained.
When asked how he made out while hiding in the cane fields, the young suspect said that since he had some money on his person, he would venture out from time to time to get something to eat.
Yesterday, close relatives cried bitterly as the suspect gave up his freedom.
A police source who is close to the investigations told Kaieteur News that the suspect is cooperating with detectives.
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