Latest update November 5th, 2024 1:00 AM
Doobay murder trial ends in hung jury
After lengthy deliberations, members of the jury failed to reach a verdict, yesterday, against the man accused of killing Sherwaney Doobay. The accused will now likely face another trial at an upcoming session of the Demerara Criminal
Murder Accused:
Shakir Mohamed
Assizes.
The accused, Shakir Mohamed, is indicted for the murder of the wife of prominent medical practitioner, Dr. Ramsundar Doobay.
Mohamed, 32, of Lot 127 Latchmi Street, Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, ECD, is alleged to be one of the key players in the murder. On May 24, 2011, Mrs. Doobay’s battered body was discovered in a pool of blood in the kitchen of her Echilibar Villas, Campbellville residence. The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute over a piece of property.
Subsequent to police investigations, Mohamed and Mark Singh, (the dead woman’s nephew), were arraigned for the murder.
Singh, of Prince William Street, Plaisance, was said to be the mastermind of the act. He died in prison awaiting trial.
He reportedly fell ill and was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, (GPHC). He is said to have subsequently succumbed to acute asthma.
Mohamed was facing a trial before Justice Brassington Reynolds and a twelve-member mixed jury at the High Court in Georgetown.
The case was presented by State Counsel, Mercedes Thompson and Orinthia Schmidt. Attorneys –at- law Jainarine Singh and Moti Singh represented the accused.
During the trial a police witness told the court that Mohamed had confessed to his involvement in the crime. But the accused maintained his innocence, claiming instead that police had tortured him into signing the confession statement.
Yesterday, following a summing up by Justice Reynolds, members of the jury retired. The panel spent approximately two hours deliberating before returning to the courtroom for further directions from the judge.
The jury foreman indicated that members of the panel had raised concerns about the missing murder weapon, (a hammer) during the trial.
The Judge, in turn, reiterated the rules which applied of facts and law in reaching a decision to the jury. He told them that the absence and presence of the murder weapon is not critical to their determination of the case.
After further deliberations by members of the panel, the foreman returned to the courtroom and announced that they had not arrived at a unanimous decision as it relates to the case.
Given the hung jury verdict, the matter is expected to come up before another judge some time in the upcoming sessions of the criminal assizes.
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