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Bartica massacre….Two get death sentence, one acquitted
Mark Royden Williams called Durant and Smallie; and Dennis Williams called Anaconda were found guilty of killing 12 residents of Bartica on February 17, 2008. Co-accused, Roger Simon, called Goat Man was acquitted of
the killings.
The decision by the 12-member jury came after 23:00 hours yesterday. They took almost six hours. It found the two Williamses guilty of seven counts of murder and five counts of manslaughter. On the murder conviction they were sentenced to death.
The sentence was handed down by Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire at the Georgetown High Court.
Dennis Williams, called Anaconda, was not in court. In fact, he had refused to attend court during the last three sessions of the hearings. But Mark Williams and Roger Simon were there.
The jury acquitted Simon but he must face other charges stemming from the Bartica Massacre. He must answer to the charges of terrorism, break and enter, and larceny. Mark Williams and Dennis Williams must return to court today for sentencing on the manslaughter charges.
When the jury returned there was a deathly silence in the courtroom. Relatives of the accused sat with stony looks on their faces. When the sentence was handed down, Simon’s relatives broke out in screams of “Freedom; Freedom.”
His lawyer, Peter Hugh, immediately petitioned the court for bail on the lesser charges and succeeded in obtaining bail on the charges of break and enter and larceny charges. However, he will have to remain in court because of the terrorism charge.
Details of the sentencing phase of the trial in tomorrow’s paper.
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