Scars of Henry boys' brutal murder still fresh for family

Scars of Henry boys’ brutal murder still fresh for family

Jul 10, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) A monumental ruling in the high-profile Henry boys’ case was handed down on Wednesday at the Berbice High Court, where Anil Sanchara, 39, and Vinod Gopaul, 35, were each sentenced to life imprisonment.

The two were convicted on two counts of murdering cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry. Sentencing was handed down by Justice Simone Morris.

Isaiah (left) and Joel Henry

Reacting to the long-awaited conclusion of the trial, Donna Thomas, a relative of the two boys, said the case had been an extensive ordeal and that, even with it now concluded, the scars remain fresh in the hearts of family members and the community.

Asked whether she believes the two convicted men are indeed culpable, she said: “All I would say is God knows best, and the cry that they (Sanchara and Gopaul) making — if they are innocent, stop crying and pray without ceasing.”

The 60-year-old reasoned that despite the severity of the life sentences, the men should consider themselves fortunate their own lives were not taken through punitive measures such as execution for the offence of which they were found guilty.

News of the verdict spread quickly, drawing divided reactions. While some hailed the ruling as long-overdue justice, others expressed skepticism about the men’s involvement in the killings.

Both Sanchara and Gopaul had maintained their innocence from the outset, accusing Akash Singh of conspiring with police against them. Singh’s testimony had firmly incriminated the two men.

Thomas maintained that if the pair is indeed innocent, their circumstances would ultimately be corrected by a higher power. “God will show up at the right time and skin up [expose] the right person. I wasn’t there. Who am I to judge? If they’re innocent, God will see them through. Whoever claims that they (Sanchara and Gopaul) are innocent, whatever they know, let them speak out,” she urged.

Reflecting on that tragic period, Thomas recalled how the atmosphere in the normally lively No. 3, West Coast Berbice community grew tense overnight on 5th September, 2020.

“I came home about 10:30 that night. I saw a commotion on the road, and when I reached home, I asked my daughter [what happened]. My daughter told me that Isaiah’s mother and two other persons had passed by the back of our house. She asked where they were going — they said they were going out. Then the next day, I learned that they were missing.”

On September 6, the two cousins were found dead, their bodies bearing brutal chop wounds.

Reports at the time indicated that the boys were killed by Sanchara, Gopaul, and Singh in retaliation for allegedly destroying the trio’s marijuana farm. Notably, Thomas disclosed that, to her knowledge, no marijuana farm existed at the backdam — a detail that casts further doubt on the stated motive for the killings.

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Anil Sanchara, family, Henry boys, murder, Vinod Gopaul

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