Crum-Ewing murder PI… Absence of police witnesses leads to another adjournment

May 12, 2017 News

MURDER ACCUSED: Regan Rodrigues

City Magistrate Judy Latchman has once again had to adjourn the preliminary inquiry into the murder of political activist, Courtney Crum- Ewing – this time until May 17.
This date was given after two police witnesses, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mitchell Caesar and Inspector Eon Jackson, failed to show up in court. The names of the senior police ranks were summoned thrice by the court orderly, however they went unanswered.
Thirty-three year-old Regan Rodrigues, also known as ‘Grey Boy’ of Riverview, Ruimveldt is currently on remand for the capital offence.
According to reports, the bullet-riddled body of Crum-Ewing was found at Third Avenue, Diamond New Scheme East Bank Demerara on March 10, 2015.
The 40-year-old was shot twice to the temple, once to the back of the head and twice to the stomach. The police in a statement had said that the political activist was accosted by four men in a car, one of whom discharged several rounds, hitting him about the body. It was reported that the killer (s) used a .32 pistol to execute Crum-Ewing. Minutes before he was gunned down, he was reportedly heard via bullhorn urging residents of the neighborhood to vote against the then ruling party PPP/C.
At a May 3, court hearing ASP Caesar, who is also the head of the Major Crimes Investigations Unit, had been absent for the continuation of the matter.
The court was told by Special Prosecutor Nigel Hughes that the witness had been out of the country. ASP Caesar, on April 28, had refused to continue testifying after Rodrigues began hurling a series of abusive remarks at him. The police witness was instructed by Magistrate Latchman to step outside the courtroom while she and other court officials tried to calm Rodrigues down. But the senior police rank disobeyed the Magistrate’s orders and left the court compound. When the court orderly summoned his name thrice there was no response. Magistrate Latchman had condemned ASP Caesar’s conduct, deeming it as “not polite” given the fact that he is of a senior rank.
In 2015, Rodrigues was charged and remanded to prison for the murder of the political activist. However, the charge against him was discharged earlier this year by Magistrate Latchman due to insufficient evidence. However, in March the Director of Public Prosecutions ordered that the case be reopened for the further taking of evidence from police witnesses and to rule on the voluntariness of all oral statements made by the murder accused.

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