Berbice trio gets 35 years for killing Tain pensioner during robbery

Less than a month after a 12-member jury at the Berbice High Court found the accused guilty of the robbery-murder of a Tain pensioner, they were each slapped with a 35-year jail sentence on Friday.

Dhannyram Ramdhanny, 35; Kumar Bhagwandin, 29; and Navindra Chillu, 25, all of Corentyne, were convicted for the murder of 82-year-old Chandarie “Aunty Dayo” Budhoo, a pensioner from Lot 83 Tain Settlement, Corentyne, Region Six, which took place on June 16, 2020.

The sentence was handed down by Justice Sandil Kissoon during the Berbice Criminal Assizes.

The State case was presented by Attorney-at-Law Cicela Corbin, and the accused were represented by Attorney Kevin Morgan for Ramdhanny and Bhagwandin and Attorneys Vinay Punwa and Chandra Sohan for Chillu.

It was reported that following the verdicts, Justice Kissoon ordered that probation reports and psychiatric evaluations be conducted on each of the convicted men. The matter was adjourned to January 9, 2026, for sentencing.

The prosecution’s case depended primarily on Kevin Mangar, also called “Toby/Chubby,” who placed himself at the crime scene and testified that he acted as a lookout while the others entered the pensioner’s home on the night of June 16, 2020.

Mangar told the court that after the stolen items were later sold, he received $5,000 from the proceeds. The three accused denied involvement and raised alibis, insisting they were elsewhere at the time of the killing.

Ramdhanny said he was drinking with friends in another village, while Bhagwandin claimed he was staying at a friend’s home for several days, and Chillu maintained he was working and living as normal. The defense also attacked Mangar’s credibility, pointing to his criminal history and suggesting his story was fabricated.

The jury, however, rejected those defenses and found each man guilty of murder in the course of a robbery, accepting the prosecution’s case that the accused acted together pursuant to a joint plan.