Prosecution closes case in Lethem robbery/murder trial

Nov 15, 2019 News

The prosecution has closed its case in the trial of Alvin Kissoon, formerly of 395 Kaneville, Grove, East Bank Demerara and Calvin King, formerly of 280 Savage Street, North East La Penitence, Georgetown. The two men are accused of the January 19, 2013 murder of John Friday, a security guard, who was shot and killed during a robbery at the Lethem Post Office.

Alvin Kissoon (covering face) and Calvin King

On Wednesday, State Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs and Mandel Moore called their final witness. The trial continues on Monday when closing arguments will be presented before trial judge Sandil Kissoon. The prosecution’s case is that the men left Georgetown for Lethem where they robbed the post office and killed Friday.

Alvin Kissoon and Calvin King are being represented by lawyers Adrian Thompson and Lyndon Amsterdam, respectively.

Earlier on in the trial, Cecelia Austin, was among the witnesses who testified, said that she has been employed with the Guyana Post Office (GPO) as a Post Mistress for the past 29 years. Austin told the court that during January 2013, she was stationed at the Lethem Post Office. She recounted that on January 19, 2013 around 06:55am, a staffer of the post office came at her home and told her something after which she immediately contacted 911.

According to her, she then went down to the Lethem Police Station where she saw police ranks conducting investigations.
Austin said that she entered her office, along with a staffer, after the police wrapped up their work, and informed her that the post office had been broken into. She said that upon entering her office, she discovered mail scattered all over the floor and two safes which stored money and other valuables were open.

She recounted that one of the safes contained $1,000 notes, while the other contained $500, $100 and $20 notes, stamps, a cellular phone and 41 $500 GTT landline phone cards. Austin added that when she left work for home on January 18, 2013, a total of $4.6M was in the two safes.

The monies were missing when she returned the following day. Asked by Prosecutor Gibbs to explain how the safes are secured, Austin said that a master key, an iron bar and a padlock were used to lock both of the safes. She also recounted that prior to the robbery, Kissoon had visited the post office to uplift a money order for $20,000, but was unable to do so as he had no form of identification.

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