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Pillow cases used to bind, gag murdered hotel owner tendered in court
Murdered: Joseph Jagdeo
Pillow cases used to bind, gag murdered hotel owner tendered in courtThree pillow cases which were used to bind and gag murdered hotel owner Joseph Jagdeo were tendered in court yesterday by Police Inspector Bharat Mangru, when the trial of Bryan Leitch called ‘Big Foot’ continued before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a 12-member mixed jury.
Leitch, of Diamond, East Bank Demerara, is accused of killing Jagdeo called ‘Joey’, the proprietor of South Central Hotel, between November 13 and 14, 2013 at Georgetown. The accused is being represented by Attorneys-at-Law Hewley Griffith and Lawrence Harris. Appearing for the State are Prosecutors Mandel Moore and Lisa Cave.
Based on information, on November 13, 2013, Leitch and a female companion had rented a room at the hotel.
During that time Jagdeo misplaced his cellular phone and had confronted Leitch. After Jagdeo’s employees did not see him the following day, they became concerned about his whereabouts and forced their way into his room where they found his motionless body. Police ranks were later summoned to the scene.
A police press release revealed that Jagdeo’s cause of death was given as asphyxia due to manual strangulation.
Yesterday, Inspector Mangru was called to testify, during which time he identified and tendered into evidence three pillow cases that were used to bind and gag the victim.
Inspector Mangru read into evidence the deposition of Retired Police Sergeant Phillip Bowman, who at the time of the murder was stationed at the Brickdam Police Station and attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The retired police sergeant is out of the jurisdiction.
At the time of the taking of Bowman’s deposition, Inspector Mangru was the prosecutor assigned to the preliminary inquiry into the offence which was conducted by then Chief Magistrate now Judge Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
Inspector Mangru told the court that Bowman had testified to visiting the South Central Hotel on November 14, 2013, when he looked under a bed in Room 10 and saw the body of Jagdeo.
The police witness said that Bowman recalled Jagdeo’s body being bound by the hands with a pillow case and that another pillow case was tied around his mouth, while there was a third pillow case stuffed in his mouth.
Bowman, Inspector Mangru said, testified that when an allegation of murder was put to Leitch, he replied, “I didn’t guh fuh kill he (Jagdeo).”
The three pillow cases, a cell phone box, the keys to Jagdeo’s office at the hotel, among other items were tendered and marked as exhibits in the trial.
Inspector Mangru also read into evidence the deposition of Shawntel De Jonge, who during a confrontation with Leitch, said that he had sold her a small grey cell phone for $4,000 on November 14, 2013, at Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown.
The deposition of Felecia Williams, who testified to meeting Leitch at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) in 2012, was also read into evidence by Inspector Mangru. According to Inspector Mangru, Williams testified that she met Leitch again on November 2, 2013, at Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown.
Inspector Mangru said that Williams stated that she and Leitch had lived in Room 9 at the hotel and that she “put him out” after she found him with Jagdeo’s phone. Inspector Mangru testified that Williams said that the hotel’s maintenance man had felt sorry for Leitch and permitted him to stay in Room 10.
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