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Aug 24, 2023 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News
Kaieteur News – Oriamna Naomi Silva Figuera, the Venezuelan national, who was arrested and had reportedly confessed to the fatal stabbing of John Fitzpatrick called ‘Sunny’ which occurred at Kumung Kumung Backdam, Region Seven, was on Tuesday charged for the crime.
Twenty-three-year-old Figuera made her first court appearance at the Bartica Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday before Magistrate Crystal Lambert where the charge was read to her.
She was not required to plead to the charge which alleges that between August 17 and 18 at Kumung Kumung Backdam, Puruni River she murdered 29-year-old Fitzpatrick.
Figuera was remanded to prison and is expected to make her next court appearance on September 13, 2023.
Following her arrest, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) revealed that Figueira told detectives at the Bartica Police Station that she stabbed the miner with a retractable knife that she had in her possession.
The police stated that Figueira was cautioned and told of the allegation of the murder of Sunny, to which she admitted, stating that the deceased had attacked her when she refused to dance with him at a shop in Kumung Kumung.
The woman told the police that she later went to the victim’s camp later that night, where she saw him lying in a hammock. She then took a retractable knife and dealt him three stabs about his body.
Kaieteur News had reported that around 23:00hrs on August 17, Fitzpatrick was in the company of two female Venezuelan nationals and others drinking alcohol at a shop, when he approached one of the ladies and requested to dance with her.
Reports are the Venezuelan woman declined Fitzpatrick’s request, which caused him to become annoyed, and he held on to her. The woman, police reported, pushed him away which then led to an argument between them.
Eyewitnesses reported that during the argument, the woman broke two bottles and threatened Fitzpatrick.
Persons at the shop attempted to calm the situation, but Fitzpatrick behaved disorderly and assaulted two of the men that were trying to subdue him. According to the police, the two men, in turn, dealt him several cuffs and lashes about his body. He was later taken to his camp in an intoxicated state and sometime after, retired to bed.
On August 18, at about 06:00hrs, it was reported that the Venezuelan woman who Fitzpatrick had the argument with, was seen running away from his camp. He was later discovered covered in blood, lying motionless in his hammock.
Police said, upon arrival at the camp, observed Fitzpatrick’s body and it was examined with one stab wound seen to his upper left side chest, two stab wounds were also seen below his left armpit, and one to his upper left side back. Subsequently, an investigation was launched into the fatal incident.
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