Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
Citrus farmer convicted for 2011 Linden shallow grave murder
By Rehanna Ramsay
Lakeraj Fredericks
A 38-year-old citrus farmer has been found guilty of a June 2011 shallow grave murder of another farmer.
Lakeraj Fredericks, of Linden, was convicted of the offence at the Georgetown High Court at around noon yesterday.
According to the facts of the matter, Fredericks killed Clifton Bonus, a fellow Lindener, on Saturday, June 4, 2011.
Bonus’ body was found buried in a shallow grave at ‘Old English,’ Back Dam, days after he was reported missing.
Bonus called “Mutts” was shot twice in the head with a .32 pistol before he was buried almost three feet beneath groves of cannabis.
It was reported that Fredericks and the victim had an argument over some missing marijuana seeds, moments before he (Bonus) was shot and killed. The deceased is said to have been the brother-in-law of Fredericks.
Fredericks was subsequently arrested and charged with the crime.
He underwent a trial before Justice Navindra Singh and a mixed 12 –member jury at the High Court.
Following almost three hours of deliberation, the panel announced that they found Fredericks guilty of the offence.
The panel retired at around 11:30 am and returned at around 14:40 hours with the verdict. However, the judge deferred sentencing to facilitate a final address by defence counsel Madan Kissoon. Kissoon was absent for the pronouncement of the verdict yesterday.
Fredericks will therefore be sentenced next Monday, May 8, 2017, at 1:00 pm.
This was the second retrial for Fredericks.
The former accused had faced two separate High Court trials (before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and Justice James Bovell-Drakes) in relation to the said matter. However, both proceedings ended in hung jury, resulting in retrials.
Yesterday, Fredericks stood expressionless in the prisoner’s dock as the jury announced that he was found guilty of the murder. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charge. In his defence, Fredericks claimed that the police had forced him to sign a statement of which he had no knowledge.
During the trial, State Prosecutors Siand Dhurjon and Tuanna Hardy called 12 witnesses to the stand.
Among them were police witnesses who told the court that on June 8, 2011, they were among a party of policemen, who were led on a five-mile trek through a dense forest to the spot where the victim was buried.
The search party was led by 16-year-old Harley Tyson, who is said to have helped to bury Bonus after he was shot. Tyson was also charged with the murder but the case against him was dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence.
Additionally, during the trial, Detectives Troy Yorrick and Ewin Trotman testified that on June 16, 2011, they visited Lakeraj Fredericks in prison, where he was on remand for another murder.
During the visit, Fredericks is said to have confessed to the murder, telling the police that he did shoot Bonus, but it was only once.
Fredericks had claimed that the victim was shot a second time to head by another man, adding that this was the shot that killed him.
However, during the trial, the State had pointed out that the trajectory of the injuries which Bonus sustained made it almost impossible for another shooter to be involved in the crime.
Further in his evidence before the court, Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh said that the victim died as a result of the gunshot injuries, he sustained.
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