Family believes relative found dead at Good Hope Backdam was kidnapped, murdered

Dec 28, 2014 News

…says death message delivered on day relative went missing

The family of 20-year-old Lassell Duke, whose decomposing body was found at Good Hope Backdam last Tuesday, believes that their relative was kidnapped and later murdered by a known character. They say that this individual is the said person the police currently have in custody.

Deceased: 20-year-old Lassell Duke

They said that he relayed a death message to the dead man’s family on the day he (Duke) went missing.
This known person, Duke’s child mother said, had a confrontation with (Duke) about a month ago. This prompted police intervention. Shellby Gladstone has a one-year-old daughter for the now dead Lassell Duke.
According to her, around 17:00 hours last week Friday Duke told her that he was going to the street corner, a few blocks away from their Lot 59 D’Urban Street, Lodge residence, but he was never seen again until she identified his body at the Ezekiel Funeral home in Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara.
Gladstone explained that about four months ago someone had broken into the home of a friend of the deceased. This friend, she said, lived in the United States, but now resides in Guyana. The friend had come to Duke’s D’Urban Street home requesting his assistance in locating the individual who broke into his house. Duke took the friend to Hadfield Street where the man (believed to be the murderer) was said be residing, and the stolen articles were reportedly recovered.
It was this incident, Gladstone said, that led to Duke’s death. However it was not until three months later that the alleged culprit reacted. She said that Duke, about a month ago was on John Street when the identified man knocked him unconscious with a gun. The matter was reported to the police, she continued, but when ranks went to apprehend the suspect he was not found.
That month passed and the matter seemed to have died down, Gladstone said. However, in the morning hours on December 19, last, Gladstone said the known person saw her on the street and gave her a message for Duke. “Tell your child father when I see he, I gun kill he.’
The woman said that she related the matter to her reputed husband and while he seemed concerned, he brushed it off and went to sleep.

From left: Duke’s reputed wife Shellby Gladstone and younger sister Nkase Duke

Later in the afternoon, Duke got up and went to the street corner. Gladstone said she made several checks on Saturday and Sunday asking around, but no one was able to help with Duke’s whereabouts. The woman said, that while the family could not find Duke, the information she has is that the identified person related (to the police) seeing the deceased the Sunday following his disappearance in the vicinity of his home; “If so this would make him the last person to see him alive.”
Gladstone said that when she went to identify her reputed husband’s body at the funeral home his face was covered because it was destroyed by a gunshot. She said however, that his mouth and body were wrapped with duck tape. She explained that the clothes alleged to be Duke’s own were not the same clothes he left home with, and the deceased was said to be wearing no pants.
Gladstone is convinced that there is more to the death of her reputed husband than what the police believe. She is hoping for a full investigation into the matter. The woman maintains that her husband was involved in no robbery, especially since he had never worked or ventured into the interior before.
Gladstone said that Duke’s birthday was the Monday following his disappearance and he was supposed to return home to conduct shopping for his big day because money had come for him from overseas. Duke was employed at the Friendship wharf with someone who has a contract to pack paddy, Gladstone said.
A police release said that Duke’s decomposed body was found in Good Hope Backdam on West Coast Demerara. A cell phone found next to the body of the deceased led police officers to believe that he was a member of a gang that robbed a Ruby Backdam family recently.
The police said they are investigating whether the man was killed by his robbery accomplices.