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State closes case in Parika fuel dealer murder
Murdered: Fuel dealer, Seeram Singh
Kaieteur News – The state has called its final witness in the murder trial of Kurt Thomas, following almost two weeks of trial.
Thomas called ‘Deportee’ is indicted for the murder of fuel dealer, Seeram Singh, which occurred during a robbery on Saturday April 30th 2016 at Parika outfall, East Bank Essequibo.
Thomas has since denied the charge and is currently on trial before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Georgetown.
Yesterday, State Counsel, Tuanna Hardy, presented her closing address before the judge and jury calling on the panel to find the accused guilty of the crime.
In her presentation, Hardy pointed to the testimony of witnesses including the evidence of Government Analyst, Senior Superintendent Phillip Azore, who had revealed that the clothing submitted for testing worn by the accused on the night of the shooting, tested positive for gunpowder residue.
Accused: Kurt Thomas
She noted, too, that more than one of the witnesses in the trial identified the accused as the shooter.
Those witnesses included an eyewitness identified as “Raj” who operated a nearby shop in the area where the shooting took place.
In his evidence, the man recalled he had seen the accused walking about the area and that he even purchased a Guinness at his shop before the robbery.
The witness claimed that he was inside his shop when he heard a commotion. He claimed that when he came outside he saw the fuel dealer being chased by a man who was tugging at his gold chain.
The man also claimed that there was a struggle between the victim and his robber who was armed with a gun and that he shot Seeram in the process.
The witness said further that after the robber fired the first shot he looked around and “their eyes made four.”
He explained that he immediately recognized the accused (Thomas) as the man who had purchased a Guinness from his shop earlier that evening.
In response to queries about the location of the killing, the witness said that the incident occurred under a lamppost, which had lights at the time that the shooting occurred.
The eyewitness testimony followed the scientific evidence of Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, who revealed to the court that the fuel dealer succumbed because of shock and haemorrhage due to gunshots injuries.
He gave the court a detailed analysis of the wounds and injuries that were found on the body of the deceased businessman.
Dr. Singh’s analysis comes days after the court heard that clothing belonging to the accused as well as his hand had tested positive for gunshot residue (GSR).
Government Analyst and expert in trace evidence, Senior Superintendent Azore, in his testimony, told the court that he found chemicals consistent with gun-powder residue on a black jersey and samples collected from the right hand which were items submitted to him for testing.
Additionally, Inspector Lallbachand Dial and Police Corporal, Krishnadat Singh, had testified to having handed over to Azore several pieces of items containing samples for GSR testing.
Dial had spoken of swabbing the hands and nostrils of the accused for gunpowder residue and thereafter placing the samples to air-dry before handing it over to the analyst for testing.
In his testimony, Corporal Singh had told the court that he had escorted Thomas to his home from where he said he retrieved several pieces of clothing which he (Thomas) identified he wore on the day in question and the following day.
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