Latest update March 7th, 2025 7:05 AM
Eccles biker shooting death…Rondy Jagdeo let go of murder charge
Five months after being accused of gunning down a man who was said to be a good friend of his, Water Street businessman Randy Jagdeo yesterday walked out of the city court a free man after the Chief Magistrate discharged the murder charge instituted against him.
The 28-year-old had been accused of killing popular biker Kirk Davis on September 3, last year.
After spending almost two months on the run, Jagdeo surrendered to police custody and was then brought before the courts to be arraigned for murder, appearing before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on October 30, last.
On February 5, the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) got underway before the said Magistrate.
Freed: Randy Jagdeo (Inset) riding away from the court after he was freed yesterday.
The businessman who was represented by Attorneys Mark Waldron and Roger Yearwood was being prosecuted by Corporal Bharat Mangru.
The pre-trial matter engaged the attention of the court for a little over one month and some seven witnesses were called to take the stand on behalf of the Prosecution.
Yesterday, the Prosecution was ordered to close its case after failing on three occasions to produce its two remaining civilian witnesses to the court.
The girlfriend of the deceased, Naliffa Dookie, and the only eyewitness, Rondell Marks, also known as “Barber” were absent, despite being summoned by the court and radio messages being sent demanding their attendance.
After the Prosecution closed its case, Yearwood stood on behalf of accused and made his no-case submission.
The lawyer urged the court to affirm that the Prosecution had failed to prove the elements of the offence. He admitted that the Prosecution had established that Davis died ‘within a year and a day’ as a result of gunshots received.
Yearwood insisted, however, that the Prosecution did not prove who inflicted the injuries.
Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry, in response, upheld the no-case submission and ruled that the prosecution had indeed failed to present the court with sufficient evidence for a prima facie case of murder to be established against Jagdeo and as such discharged the matter.
Upon being told that he was “free to go,” Jagdeo walked briskly out of the courtroom. He strolled to the Police Outpost, ditched his shirt and donned a purple hooded jersey and sun shades.
Jagdeo then slipped a bag around his shoulder and made his way to a waiting white CBR motorcycle, on which he rode away from the courthouse.
Dead: Kirk Davis
Meanwhile, relatives of the deceased who spoke to Kaieteur News expressed displeasure with the judicial system, stating that the proceedings were a slap in their face.
One female relative indicated that they are “highly disappointed in the Guyana Police Force and the sloppy investigations conducted.”
“I understand the court’s position, since there were constant no shows by witnesses, but at some point in time the police were in contact with these witnesses. What happened to a witness protection system? Why weren’t provisions made for them?”
“Here it is that a man walks free because these witnesses, in fear, may have left the country. Now a mother is without a son and a son without a father because of a sloppy system.”
The relative said she hopes that no other family would have to live through the anguish of having lost a loved one at the hands of another only to receive no justice.
She expressed hope that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) would reopen the case and that better efforts would be made in terms of investigations.
“The system has enough resources to achieve things, but it’s slackness and laziness all around. No effort was placed into this case.”
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