One night after the fatal shooting of Danian Anthony Jagdeo, a phone card agent, Police were able to apprehend all of the suspects as well as recover the murder weapon. This was the testimony provided to the court during the trial on Thursday at the Berbice High Court before Justice Sandil Kissoon.
On February 8, 2017, Jagdeo, of Williamsburg, Corentyne, was shot dead by Mark Dhuman, 27; Abdul Salam Azimullah, called “Sato”; Shuman Batson and Satesh Budram, 24; all of Hampshire Village, Corentyne, and Zaheer Abdulla, called “Gold Teeth”, of Adelphi, East Canje.
The State’s case is being presented by Attorney-at-Law Abigail Gibbs while the five accused are represented by Attorneys Siand Dhurjon, Moti Singh, Ravindra Mohabir, Sasha Roberts, and Surihya Sabsook.
Following a lengthy voir dire, the State called its first witnesses on Thursday. Forensic Pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan explained that Jagdeo received two gunshot injuries to his left arm and another to the left side of his chest.
The Pathologist further revealed that a fourth bullet pierced Jagdeo’s back and damaged the kidney before fracturing a rib. The bullet was found lodged on a rib. Dr Bridgemohan gave the cause of death as shock and haemorrhaging owing to gunshot wounds.
The Prosecution then called Sergeant Philbert Wilbur, who told the court that Police had traversed the area for an entire night to find the Perpetrators. Following the suspects’ apprehension, the murder weapon was recovered.
The State’s witness related that acting on information, he and a party of fellow Police Officers went to a wake house at Hampshire Village and contacted Azimullah. He was arrested and around midnight, they were able to arrest Budram.
In the wee hours of the following morning, Batson was arrested at a house in Williamsburg. Upon his arrest, he told the Police Officer, “Ah gon tell you everything when we get to the station,” Wilbur told the court.
Upon arriving at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost, Wilbur said Batson told him that he was going to take him to Canje and show him where the prime suspect known as “Gold Teeth” resided.
The Police Sergeant said while taking Batson to East Canje, the suspect jumped out of the vehicle in a bid to escape, but was immediately recaptured.
When they got to the home of “Gold Teeth”, Police ranks called at the door several times and then observed someone jumping through a window at the back of the house.
However, the suspect, as he made his attempt to escape, got stuck between a picket fence and as such, he was arrested. The officer told the court that Azimullah said Abdulla was also called “Marlon”.
Based on further information received, the court heard, Dhuman was subsequently arrested.
Sergeant Wilbur said as investigations continued, Azimullah, who was in Police custody, told him that they were in receipt of information that the weapon that was used in the shooting was hidden in his yard.
He reportedly told the detectives that he was not sure if the information was correct, but agreed to take them to the location, where a search was conducted, and the weapon was found wrapped in a handkerchief in a heap.
Wilbur told the court that the weapon was later confirmed to be that of Azimullah. The jury was shown the weapon as it was tendered into evidence.
However, defence counsel Moti Singh objected, saying that it was not the firearm used in the commission of the murder, but the lawyer was overruled by the Judge after the Prosecutor argued that the Police Officer was just tendering it as evidence.
The trial continues as the State is expected to call several other Police witnesses, including officers from the Major Crime Unit.
