Duo remanded to prison for D’Urban Street murder

Jan 04, 2023 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kaieteur News – The two Suspects who were arrested in relation to the Boxing Day robbery and shooting to death of Shimron Adams, the D’Urban and Chapel Streets, , Businessman were on Tuesday remanded to prison for the crime.

Thirty-year-old Andrew ‘Aids Man’ Ridley of Albouystown and 20-year-old Akelow Marshall of East La Penitence, made their first court appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, where the indictable charge was read to them.

Ridley and Marshall were not required to plead to the charge, which alleges that on December 26, 2022, at D’Urban and Chapel Streets, Lodge Georgetown, they murdered 41-year-old Adams, during the course or furtherance of a robbery.

Chief Magistrate McLennan remanded the Defendants to prison and they are expected to make their next court appearance on February 2, 2023.

Kaieteur News had reported that Adams of Lot 129 Macaw Drive, Kaneville, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was shot at around 23:40hrs on December 26 at his business place.

Police had reported that Adams operated a wholesale and retail alcoholic beverage business at the three-storey building while at the bottom flat, located on the south-western side of D’Urban and Chapel Streets.

According to Police reports, when ranks arrived at the scene that night, Adams’ 29-year-old female friend said she arrived at the business place at about 21:30h. The woman told Investigators that Adams was wearing a gold ring and a gold band and had a small bag hanging on his shoulder.

At about 23:30hrs, the woman said Adams closed his business place and started to pack items into a freezer. About ten minutes after, Adams opened the shutter for them to leave from the bottom flat. It was while doing so that two persons entered the building through the shutter and ordered them to lie on the ground. The woman told Police that they complied. The two Suspects reportedly wore surgical facemasks and one of was armed with a handgun.

Police were told that the unarmed Suspect then took off the Businessman’s gold band and ring and ordered him to get up. He followed the instructions given. The Suspect then held onto the Businessman’s shoulder bag and pulled at it, but Adams continued to hold onto the bag to prevent the Suspect from taking it.

The Suspect, who was armed with the firearm, discharged a round at Adams, which struck him to the right side of his abdomen. As a result of this, the Businessman ended up releasing the bag and collapsed on the ground. The Suspect removed his shoulder bag, picked up the Businessman’s phone and the woman’s cellphone and made good their escape through the shutter.

On December 29, Police sources close to the investigation, in an interesting twist, revealed that the woman who was with Adams on Boxing Night told Investigators that she shared a relationship with both Ridley and the Businessman. The woman reportedly told Police that Ridley had found out about her relationship with Adams after seeing photographs and text messages in her phone.

She said Ridley took away her phone and told her that he will rob Adams. The woman said she begged him to change his mind. However, the Suspect robbed and shot Adams.

This publication had reported that following the incident, Ridley was arrested on December 28 while Marshall was arrested the next day near the Berbice Bridge.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had issued a wanted bulletin for Ridley in connection with the murder of Dexter McFarlene of Laing Avenue, in November.