Latest update November 5th, 2024 1:00 AM
Man convicted for murdering Mocha mechanic
One day after he professed his innocence in relation to the murder of 23-year-old Mocha, East Bank Demerara mechanic, Terrence Lanferman,
GUILTY: Kenkossie Lynch
Kenkossie Lynch was yesterday found guilty of the crime following deliberations by a jury at the High Court in Demerara.
Lynch, formerly of Lot 110 CC Eccles, East Bank Demerara, was convicted of the June 1, 2015 murder of Lanferman which occurred at the man’s Nelson Street, Mocha Arcadia home. Sentencing for Lynch, who had been on trial before Justice Navindra Singh, has been deferred to Thursday, May 30.
Lynch, a welder, formerly of Lot 110 CC Eccles, East Bank Demerara, killed Lanferman on June 1, 2015 at his Lot 27 Nelson Street, Mocha Arcadia home. Lynch reportedly confessed to police that he and his cousin plotted the crime. Lanferman was shot dead by a lone gunman who came and knocked at his door.
At the time of the shooting, Lanferman was in the bottom flat of the two-storey house he shared with his other sibling. His lifeless body was discovered lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He received gunshot wounds to the neck and chest. He was pronounced dead at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre East Bank Demerara.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case on Tuesday, Lynch in an unsworn testimony, told the court that he was innocent of the crime. Lynch denied ever giving a caution statement to Police Inspector Prem Narine. In fact, he told the court that at the time of his arrest, he could not read or write.
He said, “(The police) did not caution me and tell me anything about my rights. I did not get any call to my family.”
That same caution statement in which police say Lynch confessed to the crime was admitted into evidence after a Voir Dire. Justice Singh had ruled that he found the statement was freely and voluntarily given. Lynch’s lawyer Adrian Thompson had asked the court to disregard the caution statement on the basis that his client was induced to sign same. The lawyer had argued that at the time of the taking of the statement his client could not read or write.
Prosecutors Tuanna Hardy, Teriq Mohamed and Abigail Gibbs presented the case for the State and called a total of 15 witnesses.
Among the witnesses called was Orville Stuart, who told the court that he had pursued the accused following the shooting incident. Stuart told the court that he was hanging out at the corner when he heard what sounded like an explosion.
A few minutes after the explosion, the witness said a man ran past him. He said that the man was wearing a hoodie and had what appeared to be a gun in his hand. Stuart said that he mounted his cycle and pursued the accused. However, the witness said that the perpetrator jumped on the back of a CG motorcycle and made good his escape.
Questioned by the Defence Counsel Thompson about the description of the alleged perpetrator, the witness noted that he had not seen the man’s face but he could tell that he is dark in complexion because he was clad in a three quarter pants and he could see his legs.
The victim’s mother, Ulice Lanferman, also took the stand. She provided the court with an emotional testimony of identifying the body of her son after he was executed. The woman became emotional even as she told the court that she was working as a pump attendant at the Guyoil Gas Station at Providence when she was informed of the incident involving her son.
The woman said that as a result of the call, she rushed over to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where she saw her son’s lifeless body—he was covered in blood. Ebon Booker recalled that she lived at the upper flat of the house in which Lanferman and his girlfriend once lived. She said that on the day of the incident, she was at home.
The witness told the court that she had just finished cooking when Lanferman’s girlfriend came to visit her upstairs. A few moments later, she said two loud explosions were heard. They rushed downstairs to see what had happened. There, they discovered, Lanferman lying in a pool of blood.
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