Bus conductor to face judge, jury for drugstore owner’s murder

Jun 20, 2014 News

The minibus conductor accused of killing popular drug store owner Harold Rachpaul in 2011 is to now face a Judge and Jury.

Dead: Harold Rachpaul

On Tuesday, Orin Kevin Roberts of ‘C’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was committed to stand trial at the High Court at the next sitting of the Demerara Assizes by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry after she ruled that a sufficient case was made out against him.
Roberts was charged for murdering the drug store owner in Georgetown between August 18 and 19, 2011, during the course of a robbery.
The victim was found gagged, bound with electrical cord, and strangled in his apartment, located behind his drug store.
On that day his killer had apparently forced him to open a vault which contained close to $1M in cash and phone cards before murdering him at his premises. Rachpaul had been operating the business at 75 Robb Street, Lacytown, for close to 50 years.
Despite the efforts of investigators, it was almost three years before Roberts faced the murder charge. According to the Prosecution, it was the newly-acquired state-owned Automated Fingerprinting Identification System (FIS) which landed the accused in court. He was brought before the Chief Magistrate on March 4 for his first arraignment on the charge.
Roberts was represented by Defence Attorney George Thomas and prosecuted by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Prosecutor, Corporal Bharat Mangru.
During the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) Rachpaul’s son Leonard; grandson Vincent; neighbouring security guard Ryan Kissoon also known as ‘Dhal Belly;’ neighbour Ramchand Sukhdeo; Cadet Officer Mahadeo Singh; Fingerprint Expert, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rafeek Ali and Detective Corporal Roopnarine were among the ten persons who testified in the pretrial matter.

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