Teen charged with manslaughter for causing death of 13-yr-old in 2021

Dec 09, 2023 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kaieteur News – A teen, who was arrested for causing the death of a 13-year-old boy back in 2021, was on Thursday charged with manslaughter when he appeared before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman.

The teen was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge and bail was granted in the sum of $200,000. The teen is required to return to court on January 11, 2024.

Kaieteur News understands that the suspect was arrested on Tuesday at his Sarah Johanna, East Bank Demerara (EBD) home, two years after allegedly causing the death of the 13-year-old boy.

According to reports, the incident occurred on December 20, 2021 around 17:30h. The deceased, 13-year-old Jesus Gonzalez had left earlier that day to visit his mother who was at his sister’s Sarah Johanna, EBD home. He reportedly spent two hours there.

Dead, Jesus Gonzalez (Photo Credit: Guyana Daily News)

Kaieteur News understands that the lad was told to return to his grandmother’s residence where he resided before night fall. It was reportedly on his way home that the accused, who lived three houses away from Gonzalez’s grandmother, approached the victim and called him derogatory names. The 13-year-old boy responded in like fashion and ran away.

The suspect chased him and caught him after which he hit Gonzalez to the head and then stabbed him with a welding rod. The teen’s screams raised an alarm and residents rushed to his aid. The injured child was rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre by his grandmother. He was then transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was admitted, and a CT scan.

Gonzalez was said to have suffered from internal bleeding and swelling of the brain. His family reported the matter to the Timehri Police Station. He was discharged from the hospital on December 26, 2022 and returned two days later. He was subsequently discharged on January 7, 2023 and he then died on January 18, 2023 after another bout of hospitalisation.

A post-mortem examination was conducted and determined that he died from blunt trauma to the head.

Kaieteur News understands that an investigation was launched after the child’s death and the suspect was required to report to the police on a regular basis.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

arrested, caused, death, GPHC, killed, Teen

Latest News