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Judge to rule on Voir Dire in Bartica Massacre trial

Nov 08, 2016 News

Justice Roxanne George is expected to make a ruling into the Voir Dire (trial within a trial) for Dennis Williams, one of the men who are on trial for the 2008 Bartica Massacre, in which 12 persons were brutally murdered. The Voir Dire continued before Justice George yesterday.
State Prosecutors Diana Kaulesar and Stacy Goodings called their final witness to the stand in the Voir Dire. The Judge is expected to make a ruling on the admissibility of the statement procured from accused Dennis Williams, today.
Williams, called ‘Anaconda’; Mark Royden Williams, called ‘Durant’; and Anthony Simon, called ‘Goat Man’ are on trial for 12 counts of murder. The men are being represented by Attorneys Roger Yearwood, Peter Hugh and Saphier Hussein.
Last week, co-accused Michael Caesar, called ‘Capone’; and Clebert Reece, plead guilty to 12 counts of manslaughter.
The guilty pleas by Caesar and Simon resulted from bargains they struck with the state. Both of them will be sentenced on December 16.
During the main trial, state witness, Jaiwantie Singh, detailed testimony of how persons stormed her home at First Avenue Bartica, kicking down doors and firing gunshots during the 2008 Bartica massacre, in which a dozen persons were killed.
Singh informed the court that at the time of the attack she operated a grocery store, parlour and gold trading at the lower flat of her two-storey home. She stated that she, her husband and three children (two boys and a girl) resided at the top flat.
Guided by the prosecution, Singh recalled that she and her family were engrossed in a 20/20 cricket match around 21:00 hrs, at the top flat of the building on the day in question.
During her viewing of the game, the witness said that she became startled by loud sounds which she presumed were gunshots.
She said that she hurried down stairs and told her son what she heard. As a result of what Singh related to her son, she said her son peeked through a window and told her something.
A while after, the witness told the court that she heard voices followed by continuous knocking and banging on a grill door downstairs.
Singh, who appeared calm during her testimony, said that persons began pounding on the walls outside her home. She said they then broke down the door and stormed inside.
According to reports, on the night of February 17, 2008, several gunmen attacked Bartica, slaughtering a dozen people, including three police officers, during an hour-long attack. It was reported that the armed men attacked the police station killing three policemen before freeing prisoners.
They then left with the vehicle assigned to the police station and went on a rampage, terrorizing the community.
The gunmen arrived in the area by boat and departed in a similar fashion taking firearms they grabbed from the police station and a mining company.

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