Extradition proceeding for US murder suspect… Defence challenges suspect’s name

Jul 06, 2018 News

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One of the three lawyers representing US murder suspect, Troy Thomas, is now challenging the name of his client. This challenge comes almost one month after, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow made the ruling in the High Court stating that Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus has the authority to continue hearing the extradition proceeding.
The decision saw the dismissal of a Fixed Date Application (FDA) filed by lawyers for the murder suspect, which sought to challenge the extradition proceedings.
Yesterday, when the matter was called before Magistrate Marcus at the Providence Magistrates’ Courts, Assistant Superintendent, Simeon Reid, went into the witness box.
Reid told the court that he is the officer-in-charge of the Fraud Department at Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
He stated that relative to a request made by the US Government to the Government of Guyana for the extradition of Troy Thomas, he carried out an investigation.
The witness added that on March 14, last, he was on duty at CID headquarters when he made contact with Troy Thomas who was at the time in the holding area at CID.
He went on to tell the court that he approached the suspect who told him his name was Mervin Williams.
Reid then proceeded to interview the suspect and he later admitted that his real name was Troy Thomas and not Mervin Williams.
The court heard that Troy Thomas then proceeded to provide the rank with his date of birth and his parents’ name along with his place of birth.
He later signed the name Troy Thomas on several documents.
The witness added that he informed Thomas that he is accused of committing a murder in USA and a warrant was issued for his arrest since the US Government made request to the Guyana Government for him to be extradited.
Reid added that US authorities supplied Guyana Government with information of the his correct name (Troy Thomas), date of birth, and his parents name during an interview.
He added that he also received information from the US Government that the defendant fingerprint matched and persons that know the defendant identified him as Troy Anthony Thomas.
After Reid’s testimony, he was subjected to intense cross-examination by Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes.
When the witness was asked if he or any other rank had any form of identification for Troy Thomas, he said no.
The lawyer went on to grill the witness by asking him if checks were made to state registries to know if any passport or any documents were issued for Thomas and the witness told the court that no checks were made.
Hughes went on to ask the witness if checks were made to verify if more than one person had the name Troy Thomas and the witness responded by saying that during his investigation he found out that they were multiple persons with the name Troy Thomas.
The lawyer then told the court that the witness can only say that his client’s name is Troy Thomas because the defendant said so but they have no proof.
The Magistrate, after listening to the witness’s evidence and the lawyer’s submissions, told the court that the identity of the suspect is still a live issue.
She added that because of , the court will have to conduct a voir dire (trial within a trial) to ascertain the suspect’s real identity.
The matter was adjourned until July 17 for commencement of the void dire.
According to information, Thomas, who resided overseas at 32nd Street, South Ozone Park, Queens, New York, U.S.A, fled to Guyana after allegedly gunning down another Guyanese, 20-year-old Keith Frank, in Queens, New York, seven years ago.
Thomas reportedly fled to Guyana shortly after an arrest warrant was issued for him in the U.S. for the murder of Frank, who was slain on December 11, 2011.
Frank succumbed to a bullet wound to the torso, allegedly during a confrontation with Thomas and others. The victim, whose daughter was eight months old at the time, died two months before he would have celebrated his twenty-first birthday. He had reportedly been living in the U.S. since he was 12.
Reports in U.S. media stated that the killing occurred outside a South Richmond Hill party.
Frank’s mother, Carol Kyte, was quoted as saying that her son was attending a birthday party near 132nd Street and 109th Avenue and ran into some other men with whom he had an ongoing dispute.
It is alleged that a group of other Guyanese men were at odds with one of Frank’s friends over sophomoric quibbles like break-dancing or the attention of girls in the neighbourhood.
During his first court appearance, Thomas denied ever being charged in the U.S. for murder. Attorney-at-Law Stacy Goodings is representing the Government of the United States.

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