Murder of Kingston doctor… Two suspects captured, confess to gruesome crime

Nov 06, 2021 News

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–   Friend admits lashing him to head in self defence

–   Accomplice says it was a planned robbery

By Shervin Belgrave

The two suspects captured yesterday for the brutal murder of Dr. Colin Roach at his Kingston office on Tuesday night, have confessed to the gruesome crime.

Confirming this development with Kaieteur News was Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum.

One of the suspects is a close friend of the slain doctor and was identified by police as 25-year-old Hilton Oliver Junior Franklin.

Sources detailed that Franklin told investigators that he had lashed Roach to his head with a metal object in self-defence.

However, his accomplice in the murder, identified as 18-year-old Lenrick Mosai Byass, said that he did not see when Roach was bludgeoned to death but confessed that they had gone to doctor’s office to rob him that evening.

Franklin was the first to be nabbed by cops yesterday during the early morning hours while Byass was apprehended later at a call centre where he works.

According police, Franklin was their prime suspect and they had caught him at Corentyne, Berbice attempting to flee the country into neighbouring Suriname via the back track route.

Sources had said that mere hours after the cops had taken him into custody he decided to tell them his version of what happened.

He claimed that he had visited Roach’s office in his car that evening and had met Byass there. They then started drinking Guinness together and during the session Roach got drunk and made advances towards him.

Franklin alleged that the doctor pushed him down on a cot in the examination room and he fell. The suspect continued his claims that he retaliated by lashing the doctor twice to his head with a metal object that was close by.

He further alleged that after realizing that Roach was dead, he, Byass and one of Roach’s employees, removed evidence from the scene to avoid being pinned to crime.

Byass however, told police a slightly different story. He said that Franklin had devised a plan with him rob Roach but something went horribly wrong that evening.

According him, he was not around when Roach was killed and he does not recall being helped by the doctor’s employee to clean up the scene before their escape.

Byass added too that he is not acquainted with the slain doctor but has been friends with Franklin for three years. They had worked together at the same

call centre where he (Byass) is still employed.

The accomplice said that Franklin had told him that he frequents Roach’s office and had observed the man has large amounts of cash.

Following their discussion, they orchestrated a plan to rob him and decided to execute their plan on Tuesday.

Byass said that Franklin had picked him up from his home that afternoon in his black Fielder Wagon.

They drove to a location in Water Street, Georgetown where they parked and secured the car before heading to the doctor’s office in a taxi.

Roach greeted them at the entrance and then they left together in his SUV to purchase alcoholic drinks at a location on Regent Street.

They began imbibing on their way back to the office where they continued the drinking session for a while.

Byass continued that sometime later, Roach gave him some cash and sent him to purchase Guinness with the money at a nearby shop.

When he returned from the errand and re-entered the office he saw that Roach was dead and lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

He said he asked his friend what happened and Franklin told him a “story”.

It was at this point, recounted Byass, that they both removed two gold rings from the dead man’s fingers and US$600.

They divided the items equally among themselves and then began the process of ensuring that no trace of evidence was left behind.

Franklin, he said unplugged a DVR and a nearby camera and they sanitized the area and had even packed up the glasses and empty bottles that they were using during the drinking session.

The suspects then picked up the unplugged DVR and camera along with the doctor’s two cellphones, some expensive liqueur, the packed up glasses and bottles and the murder weapon before exiting the building.

They loaded the items into the Roach’s SUV and drove back to Water Street where Franklin’s car was parked. There, Franklin secured the liquor in his fielder wagon before re-entering the SUV and continuing their journey to West Bank Demerara

Along the way, said Byass, they discarded the murder weapon, the camera, DVR and the bottles and glasses.

They had even got rid of the stolen cellphones.

Byass told detectives that when they crossed over the Demerara Harbour Bridge, he exited the vehicle and went home while Franklin sped off in the opposite direction.

The following day (Wednesday) he changed his part of the stolen US currency into GYD dollars.

Kaieteur News was reliably informed late last night that cops had found a total of $42,000 in Byass’ possession.

It was related too, that when they arrested Franklin, the prime suspect, the doctor’s stolen rings were found concealed in his crotch. Additionally, US$200 was also in his possession. He has since denied that it was a planned robbery.

The investigation into this gruesome murder continues.

 

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