Murder accused in fireman shooting death to know fate today

Feb 09, 2015 News

The two men who are on trial for the shooting death of a fireman in 2011, are expected to now their fate today after Justice Brassington Reynolds sums up the evidence in the case to the mixed jury.

Delon Collins

The accused, Hallman Hunte, 37, of Alness, Corentyne; and Sohan Busgith, 26, of Limlair Village, Corentyne allegedly shot and killed Delon Collins on Christmas Eve Day 2011 at Lot 21 Alness, Corentyne, Berbice.
The defence which is being piloted by Attorney-at-Law, Ramesh Rajkumar, for Hunte, and State-appointed Attorney Horatio Edmonson for Busgith had put forward a lengthy no case submission.
The prosecution case is being presented by Judith Gildarie Mursaline.
Both the prosecution and defence have completed their respective submission to the jury. That was after Justice Reynolds had overruled the no case submissions and called on them to lead a defence.
The defence had called two witnesses in response, officer in charge of the Whim Magistrate’s Court Shanice Joseph and officer in charge of the New Amsterdam Prison, Senior Superintendent Linden Cornette.
During the trial, police photographer Andel Doris and Dr Vivikanand Brijmohan were the last two witnesses to take the stand.
Doris testified to taking photographs of the scene which was done during the night with the aid of flash lights. Dr Brijmohan told the court that during the examination of Collins’ body which was done at the New Amsterdam Hospital, he discovered 82 pellet wounds and he removed 20 pellets.

Hallman Hunte, 37, (left) and Sohan Busgith 26

The entire chest was damaged. He gave the cause of death as shock and hemorrhage, laceration to the heart and liver and gunshot injuries.
Nadine Crawford, 37, who was Probation and Welfare Officer at the New Amsterdam Prisons at the time, had detailed the sequence of events on the night in question from the time she left home with her fiancé, Collins, and her three children to their arrival back home when they were robbed and Collins was shot. She had given six statements to the police. She claimed that she knew Hunte for several years and that they once attended the Alness Living Water Church. She also said she knew Busjith, having seen him before at the New Amsterdam Prison.