Smallie, Cobra, Two Colours for murder trials this Demerara Assizes

Oct 07, 2018 News

Several high profile murder cases are listed for trial at the current session of the Demerara Assizes which opened last week Tuesday at the High Court in Georgetown.

Among the matters listed for trial at this session are those of convicted mass killer Mark Williams, called “Smallie”; Tyrone Rowe, called “Cobra” and Lennox Wayne also known as “Two Colours.”

The judges listed to preside at this session are Jo Ann Barlow, Sandil Kissoon and James Bovell-Drakes

Williams, who is also known as Royden Durant; Sherwin Nero called “Catty” and “Pussy and Andrew Philander called “Junior” and “Gadget”, are accused of the August 2007 murder of Kumar Singh called “Mango Man”.

According to reports, Singh who was 51 years old at the time, was shot after gunmen stormed his home at 51 Craig Milne, Cove and John, East Bank Demerara on August 30, 2007 and terrorized his family. The gunmen also shot at his family members during the ordeal before escaping on foot.

Singh sustained several gunshot wounds and died while undergoing surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Last year, Williams was sentenced to death after he was found guilty on 12 counts of murder.

He was convicted for killing 12 persons at Bartica in 2008 before now Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George.

Those he murdered were Police Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir, Police Constable Shane Fredericks and Constable Ron Osborne; Edwin Gilkes, Abdool Yassin Jr, Deonarine Singh, Errol Thomas, Ronald Gomes, Baldeo Singh, Ashraf Khan, Irving Ferreira and Dexter Adrian.

Some five years after he was sentenced to serve 78 years in prison for August 2010 murder of Troy Collymore, Rowe is scheduled to go on trial again for the same killing, after his conviction and sentencing were overturned by the Court of Appeal in July.

Rowe was tried for murdering Collymore, who was shot in August, 2010 after a robbery at a pharmacy in Plaisance. The man was declared clinically dead two days after at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

In 2010, Rowe, 17 years old at the time, found himself on a list of Guyana’s most wanted. A hefty bounty of $1M was then offered for information leading to his arrest.

Wayne and his alleged accomplice, Melroy Doris, who are accused of the July 10, 2014 murder of Lusignan, East Bank Demerara cosmetologist, Ashmini Harriram, are also set to undergo another trial in this session of the Demerara Assizes.

It was Justice Jo Ann Barlow who announced in May 2017 that the two murder accused will have to undergo another trial after the jury was unable to reach a common verdict at their first trial which commenced in April 2017

Based on reports, Harriram was shot once to the neck moments after she disembarked a minibus along the Lusignan Railway, Embankment, East Coast Demerara.

On the day of the incident, the shooter reportedly exited a burgundy-coloured motorcar, whipped out a gun, shot the teen, then took away her cell phone and fled. Wayne and Doris, a taxi driver were subsequently arrested and charged with the capital offence.

Meanwhile, Lindener Orin Arthur is listed to go on trial for the December 24, 2014 murder of Sterling Products Limited guard, Wilfred Stewart, which occurred at Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Stewart, of Graham’s Hall, East Coast Demerara, was shot dead by gunmen who forced their way into the Sterling Products Limited Compound.