At night on the Essequibo River, and alone with a killer – He waited for ten years to avenge his father; Police say he has now killed again

Feb 10, 2019 Features / Columnists, Murder and Mystery

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By Michael Jordan

This is how they say it happened.
On the night of December 21, 2009, a group of men, drinking at Bartica, decided to pack it in just before 11.00 p.m. They lived at Foulmouth, an area which lay a few minutes journey by boat from Bartica.
Patricia Williams, the sister of one of the men, and who operated a small boat with a 45-horse power outboard engine, decided to ferry the group home.
Patricia Williams’ brother entered his house and was preparing for bed when he heard someone scream.
The sound appeared to be coming from the nearby Foulmouth landing. The brother ran to the area, and was shocked see his sister’s skirt and her underwear floating in the water.
He immediately alerted other residents. Meanwhile, a resident also observed Patricia Williams’ empty boat drifting in the river.
That night, they found Patricia Williams’ half-nude body near the foreshore.

While a post mortem showed no sign of sexual assault, it did reveal that Williams had been strangled.
Police were told about the group of men that the 50-year-old boat owner had transported from Bartica shortly before her murder. They learnt that the last passenger to leave the boat was a 23-year-old man from the riverine community. He was said to have been recently released from prison. But he could not be found.
Some residents surmised that he had fled into nearby bushes after killing Williams.
A few days later, some residents reported that they had spotted the suspect in the backlands.
One man reportedly spotted the young man, who was armed with a crowbar, hiding among some bushes. Members of a community policing group pursued the fugitive who managed to elude them.
Some fearful residents told the police that the man’s relatives were providing him with food and clothing.
Police were hampered by the fact that many of the ranks were unfamiliar with the area.
But a week later, police were tipped off that individuals close to the suspect were attempting to whisk him away from the area.
They staked out the community, and arrested the suspect and two others just as they were heading by boat away from Foulmouth.
Under questioning, the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Paul Charles, reportedly told this chilling tale.
The murder of Patricia Williams, he allegedly stated, was a way of avenging his father’s death. His dad had perished over ten years prior in a boat mishap in an interior location. The captain of the boat at that time was a brother of Patricia Williams.
Police allege that the suspect held this grudge against the Williams family. Patricia Williams turned out to be the family member that suffered.
In his chilling confession, the suspect stated that he caught up with the 50-year-old boat operator and others at the Harbour Cove Bar in Bartica where they were all imbibing.
He had a few ‘joints’ (marijuana), which further exacerbated his confused state of mind.
It is reported that sometime around 11.00 p.m., the man, Patricia Williams and four others left Bartica for Foulmouth, where they all live. The woman reportedly dropped off the others, which meant that she was left alone with the youth in the dead of night on the Essequibo River.
It was at that point that he pounced on Williams, throwing her into the river. He told investigators that he plunged into the water, held the woman around the neck and submerged her until she was lifeless.
The youth said that he then dragged the body into some nearby bushes.
The youth told investigators that for days his family hid him in the bushy area aback of a yard, and he only ventured out to have meals and return.
Paul Charles was subsequently charged with the murder of Patricia Williams. That charge was changed to manslaughter, and he was incarcerated for ten years. He was released in November 2018.
Last Thursday, Paul Charles, now 33, his sister, and Cedric Williams (said to be a brother of the slain Patricia Williams) were imbibing ‘High Wine’ at the Foulmouth landing when an argument erupted between Williams and Charles over the suspect’s manslaughter conviction.
Police said the suspect became annoyed and stabbed Williams in the neck with a knife. He then fled.
Williams was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police, in an all-night stakeout, captured the suspect a day later. He has reportedly admitted to the crime. He is likely to appear in court very soon.

If you have any information on any baffling incidents or unsolved murders, please write to us at our Lot 24 Saffon Street Charlestown office or you can contact us on telephone numbers 22-58465, 22-58491, or 22-58458. You need not disclose your identity.
You can also contact Michael Jordan on 645-2447 or via his email address [email protected]

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