“Smallie”, accomplice shot dead by Joint Services’ ranks

Jun 02, 2023 News

Killed mass murderer, Royden ‘Smallie’ Williams

Kaieteur News – Notorious death-row convict, Mark Royden Williams known as “Smallie” and one of his accomplices who assisted him in escaping from the Mazaruni Prison, on May 19, were both shot and killed on Thursday morning.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed that Williams and his accomplice who has been identified as Odel Roberts called “Gully Side” were fatally shot during a confrontation with members of the Joint Services at 33 Miles, Bartica, Potaro. On Friday May 19, armed with AK-47 rifles several men in a speedboat reportedly assisted the convicted murderer to escape from the heavily-guarded prison located in Region Seven.

The jailbreak occurred around 14:30 hours while Williams was being escorted back to his cell after receiving a visit by a woman. As the prison guards were escorting Williams on an ATV (four-wheel bike), they came under fire from gunmen in the speed boat who were armed.

“The ranks dismounted the ATV and returned fire at the assailants. At that point, one of the boat occupants came onto the land and continued to discharge several rounds towards the prison officers,” Guyana Prison Service had stated.

While the exchange of gunfire was ongoing, Williams still in his foot chains managed to run towards the riverbank and jumped overboard. The gunmen then helped him into the boat and sped off in a westerly direction. Only on Sunday police reported that one of the gunmen, who reportedly helped in the escape of convicted mass-murderer, was killed in a shoot-out. The shot gunman was identified as Neon Howard also known as ‘Taxi’, a 33-year-old male of Friendship, East Coast Demerara. In a press statement released to the media on Sunday afternoon, the police said that the suspect was killed at St. Mary’s Logging area, located not too far from Bartica, Region Seven. The release mentioned that Howard was ‘wanted’ for aiding in the escape of “Smallie”.

“Intelligence led to a confrontation with one of the accomplices, who was fatally shot”, the police stated. It continued that the East Coast Demerara man was shot dead after he reportedly snatched a firearm from one of the arresting ranks and attempted to escape. Williams was on death row for the 2008 Bartica Massacre which saw the death of eight persons including three police officers. He also received a second death sentence last year for killing a member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Corporal Ivor Williams on January 23, 2008.

This is not the first time that Williams escaped from prison. He had staged his first escape on July 9, 2017 from the Camp Street Prison but was recaptured a few months later at Weldaad, West Coast Berbice (WCB). A $10M reward was being offered for his recapture.

Police have since remanded six individuals for allegedly conspiring to help Williams escape. Among them is a Parika businessman, the woman who visited him the day he escaped – who is a Venezuelan National – and the four prison officers, Alexander Hopkinson, Omar Witherspoon, Oldfield Romulus and Conroy Hossanah. Moreover, in October 2020, after spending five years on remand, Roberts was freed of a murder charge which alleged that he murdered a shopkeeper Shawn Anys, during a robbery at `D’ Field, Sophia in 2015.