DPP orders reopening of Courtney Crum-Ewing murder case

Mar 18, 2017 News

Six months after a tearful Regan Rodrigues walked out of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts proclaiming his innocence, having been freed of the murder of political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has ordered that the case be reopened.
Crum-Ewing’s bullet-riddled body was found on March 10, 2015, at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, where he had reportedly been urging residents to vote against the then ruling People Progressive Party (PPP/C). His bull-horn was found next to his bloodied body.
One month later, 37-year-old Rodrigues called “Grey Boy” was charged with the activist’s murder.
After the charges were read to him, he told the court, “I know that in this country once money passes to the police they do respond to you… I am an APNU stronghold.”
He further added that “I know (police officer) kill Crum-Ewing, because when they ask me to kill Crum-Ewing and Mark Benschop, I told them no, because I’m not no killer. I even went to the police to make a report on the matter and they never took my statement.”
Rodrigues was subsequently freed on September 14, 2016.
In the latest development, the DPP, Shalimar Ali-Hack issued a statement, remitting the case of the Guyana Police Force and Rodrigues to Magistrate Judy Latchman for reopening.
According to the statement, the sole purpose of the case being reopened is to take further evidence from the police witnesses and to rule on the voluntariness of all oral statements of the accused.
Last year, the case was discharged by Magistrate Judy Latchman when the Preliminary Inquiry was first conducted. It will now be prosecuted by Special Prosecutor Attorney-at-Law, Nigel Hughes.
The 40-year-old Crum-Ewing of Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara, was shot five times.
Police in a statement had said that Crum-Ewing was walking along the roadway at Third Avenue, when a car with four men drove up, from which shots were discharged at him, after which the men escaped.
The killer used a .32 pistol and fired at such close range that gunpowder burns were left on Crum-Ewing’s clothes and body.

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