A La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD) farmer on Monday confessed to burning and burying the body of a suspected fruit thief who was electrocuted on his farm back in November 2023.
The dead man has been identified as 22-year-old Shaquille Jones also called ‘Botha’ of Lot 44 Inner Bagotville, West Bank Demerara (WBD).
Based on reports received, on Sunday last, a teenager of Inner Bagotville WBD visited the La Grange Police Station and reported that in November 2023, he and two others including Jones colluded to go and steal citrus fruits from a farm in Cone shop Street La Grange WBD.
He stated that as they approached the first farm, they were confronted by the owner, who chased them with a cutlass. They did not stop there; they instead went to a second farm and upon scaling a mesh fence, they heard Jones scream out “ahh”.
At that time, they realised that he was being shocked by some sort of electricity on the fence. As a result, he and his accomplice took a piece of wood and attempted to remove Jones from the fence but in the process, he too received shock to his foot.
Attempts to remove Jones proved futile and as such, they hid behind a mango tree until the next morning.
However, as the place began to get bright, they saw the owner of the farm picking fruits and stumbled upon Jones’ body that was lying on the ground.
“He walked out back to the front and returned with a sheet in his hands, wrapped up Shaquille and dragged him more into the farm and disappeared,” the young man told detectives.
Upon seeing this, the two young men waited a while but as they were heading out of the farm, his accomplice reportedly threatened to kill him if he reported the matter.
Upon receiving this information on Monday, a team of police along with the teenager went to the farm where they contacted the owner whose name was given as Godfrey Carrington, 59, of Unity Street La Grange, WBD.
The teen then took the ranks to the area where Jones was electrocuted. Whilst there, the farmer admitted that he had demolished his old fence and erected a new fence with barbed wire. Carrington was nevertheless taken into custody.
On Monday, the teenager was interviewed by members of the Child Care and Protection Agency at DeWillem, West Coast Demerara (WCD) during which he related the exact story he told the police.
Human bones
Later in the day, police acting on information received revisited the farm where they discovered human bones in a clump of bushes suspected to be that of Jones.
They proceeded to the home of the farmer where they observed an electrical cable strapped to a coconut tree in the front of his yard.
Further, they observed metal wire on the fence running in a manner that would facilitate the flow of a negative and a positive independent electrical line.
In addition, they stumbled upon an area that appeared to be a fire heap which contained pieces of burnt tyres. Upon closer inspection, they discovered several human bones, including a human skull.
Police stated that the skull had what appeared to be fire damage, and the bones were scattered across the fire heap, with some bones of the limbs being scattered more than 40 feet of the fire heap.
Additionally, pieces of burnt denim jeans and a piece of male underwear were discovered.
Confession
Meanwhile, during interrogation, Carrington confessed to the crime stating that he had placed electricity on his fence to ward off thieves who would constantly invade his property.
He reportedly told investigations, “Sometime late November last year because I come home one afternoon from wuk and see one a den hook up once fence like he get electrocute. I tek he off and I recognize is Buta… I drag he pon de next land and I use some tire fuh burn he, I tell you de truth I didn’t kill this man he done dead.”
The farmer remains in custody and is expected to be charged shortly.
