Trial begins for four charged with 2018 murder

Sep 13, 2023 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kaieteur News – Justice Navindra Singh on Monday commenced the trial for four men indicted for murder.

Dead: Christopher Swamy

Vikash Persaud, Mustafa Douglas, Rafeed Hannif, and Rajkumar Singh pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on October 21, 2018, they murdered Christopher Swamy, a handyman of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Rafeed Haniff

A jury was then empanelled before Justice Singh at the Demerara High Court for the voir dire.

According to reports, 30-year old Swamy was shot dead when gunmen launched an attack at his Lot 161 Mon Repos, ECD home.

Swamy was killed in front of his wife, Marcia Williams during a brazen, early morning attack on a small group of friends outside his home.

Vikash Persaud (left) and Mustafa Douglas

Police in a statement had said that Swamy, his wife and her sister, along with Rawle Williams, Swamy’s friend, were imbibing in front of Swamy’s home, when two masked men, one brandishing a handgun, attacked them.

The robbers reportedly relieved Marcia of her cell phone and a sum of cash. Swamy was shot to his left chest, after which the bandits fled the scene.

Rawle Williams was also rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he was admitted in a stable condition. Swamy was pronounced dead on arrival.