11 to face High Court trial for murder, attempted murder and narcotics

Oct 25, 2016 News

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By Feona Morrison
The completion of nine preliminary inquiries (PI) in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, for the periods May 25 to October 21, resulted in 11 men being committed to stand trial at the High Court in Georgetown, for indictable offences ranging from murder, attempted murder and narcotics trafficking.
This is according to information compiled by Kaieteur News.
The Magistrates presiding over these PIs found that Prima Facie cases were made against the accused based on evidence led by the prosecution.
Murder
Nicholas Hercules, 20, of Lot 44 Princes Street, Georgetown will face a judge and jury for fatally stabbing a relative during an argument.
It is alleged that on April 1, at Princes Street, Georgetown, Hercules murdered Carlos Solomon.
Based on reports, the parties were involved in a heated argument when the situation escalated. It was reported that the accused pulled out a knife and stabbed Solomon to the armpit.
Hercules was nabbed at the Alberttown Police Station after he went to report the matter. The police were forced to chase the accused after he sprinted from officers when he learnt of Solomon’s demise.
Rayon Jones, 21, of Lot 212 Fourth Avenue, Bartica will stand High Court trial for allegedly murdering Pooran Baljit, a 25-year-old mechanic of Madewini, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara.
The offence occurred on June 9.
It was reported that Baljit was stabbed to death right next to the room his parents were sleeping in at their home located at the aforementioned address.
He was discovered with his head hanging out of his bedroom window with blood flowing from the stab wounds he received to his shoulder and stomach.
Orpheus Johnson, 29, of Second Street, Craig, East Bank Demerara will go on trial before a judge and jury for the murder of Gladsone George, who was killed while aboard a minibus at Public Road Agricola.
George, called ‘Brother’, 32, of Brutus Street, Agricola, was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), minutes after he received two bullets to the head while he was sitting in the minibus on April 22, 2015.
The man had just joined the bus and from all indications, his killer was trailing him and waited for the opportunity to strike.
Johnson, a pork knocker, is currently facing another PI into the murder of Travis Rudder.
Gunmen firing semi-automatic pistols through a bedroom window pumped 12 bullets into Rudder and a few more rounds into his wife and baby son, as they slept in the bedroom of their Lot 130 Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara home on June 21, 2015.
The attack left Rudder’s son and fiancée injured.
Edward Skeete of Lot 309 Independence Boulevard and Nabadingi Gobin will face trial for a fatal shooting committed on a man at Tucville, last year.
The duo is accused of murdering Mocha, East Bank Demerara resident, Ryan Clementson on July 14, 2015.
Clementson and a female friend were shot in the vicinity of Turning Point Snackette. The man, who was shot in the thigh, succumbed almost two weeks later from a cardiac arrest after undergoing surgery.
Attempted Murder
Keon Hall was on October 11, last, committed to stand trial in the High Court for attempting to murder his reputed wife Michelle Drennon.
It was reported that on April 21, Drennon, a 25-year-old waitress had been stabbed at least four times about her body allegedly by Hall, who had barged into her Lot 1607 Cadet Lane, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown home.
Stafarei Hopkinson, 33, of Laing Avenue Georgetown, was on October 11, committed to stand High Court trial for allegedly discharging a loaded firearm at taxi driver, Curtis Thom, with intent to commit murder.
According to reports, Thom, a 48 year-old taxi driver of Lot 138 Laing Avenue was shot to the chest and right side shoulder by two men, one of whom is believed to be Hopkinson on March 23, 2015. Kaieteur News understands that Thom’s shooters are known to him, and the shooting was an execution attempt on his life.
Hopkinson is currently on remand for the murder of Linden businesswoman, Shevon Gordon, who was shot by a group of armed men on April 4, 2015 at Lot 125 One Mile Linden. It was reported that the men confronted Gordon when she disembarked a Canter truck and demanded she hand over a bag she was carrying. The woman was shot while struggling to maintain possession of her bag.
On September 7, Curtis Vasconcellos of Agricola, East Bank Demerara; Orwyn Peters of Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara and George Dover were also committed to stand trial for attempted murder.
It is alleged that on June 6, 2015 at Grove, East Bank Demerara, Vasconcellos and Peters discharged a loaded firearm at businessman Neezam Khan, with intent to commit murder.
According to reports, the businessman and his colleagues were outside a snackette for which Khan is the proprietor, when four young men, two of whom are believed to be Vasconcellos and Peters rode up on motorcycles. It was reported that one of the men who was armed with a handgun, held up Khan and relieved him of jewellery before shooting him to the left arm.
However, before the bandits could have escaped with the loot, Khan opened fire on them, killing their accomplice Michael Grant, also of Agricola.
Also committed to stand trial for this offence was George Dover. He is accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding Kevin Yamster, with intent to commit murder.
It was reported that Yamster of Eccles, East Bank Demerara was stabbed to the upper left side chest and side by Dover on April 10, 2015, as a result of a longstanding dispute between them. Yamster was just 15 years of age at the time of the stabbing.
Trafficking in Narcotics
On May 25, Shemroy Robertson, 31, of 101 Mandela Avenue was committed for allegedly having 1.156 kilograms of cocaine in his possession for trafficking on January 15, at Princes Street, Georgetown.
He was charged along with Odinga Chase of East Ruimveldt Georgetown.
However, the charge was dismissed against Chase after the Magistrate found there was insufficient evidence against him to prove the elements of the offence.
According to court facts, Custom Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) ranks were carrying out an operation when Chase surrendered to ranks having exited a motorcar.
It was reported that Robertson drove off and a rank drove up beside him on Bent Street, Werk en-Rust. The rank told Robertson to pull over, but he did not comply and a bag was soon after thrown out of the vehicle. While evading the CANU ranks, Robertson became involved in an accident and was later found hiding in a house at Mandela Avenue.
For the period January to April, this year, three men were also committed to stand High Court trial for the capital offence of murder. These were businessman, Lawrence Wayne for murder committed on Dexter Lindo between August 23 and August 24, 2014 at Alberttown, Georgetown; Ron ‘Andel’ Forde, 43, of Lot 31 Rahaman’s Park, East Bank Demerara (EBD) for murder committed on transgender sex worker, Nephi Noel on July 27, 2015 at Quamina and Carmichael Streets, and Delon ‘Nasty Man’ Henry, 25, of Houston, EBD for murder committed on Dexter Griffith on September 29, 2015 at East Ruimveldt.

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