2024 murder over cell phone: Corentyne suspect surrenders after almost 18 months on the run

A Corentyne labourer who has been on the run since February 2024, turned himself over to law enforcement officers on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
Twenty-five-year-old Nicholas Johnson, called “Suga”, a labourer of Springlands, Corentyne, was wanted in relation to the February 20, 2024, killing of farm labourer Colane Toney of Number 53 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.
Police said that at about 11:10, Johnson turned himself in at the Springlands Police Station. He was accompanied by an attorney.
He was arrested at the station, pending charges.
It had been reported that at about 23:30h on the day in question, Toney was stabbed several times, including once to the chest.
Reports are that Johnson – a taxi driver at the time – who is known as “Suga”, carried out the act.

Toney’s mother, Clair Hope, told this publication back then that Johnson and her son got involved in an argument over a cell phone earlier that night.
According to Hope, her son had sold the taxi driver a phone for $20,000 but was not paid immediately.
Her son subsequently demanded payment.
“He ask the boy for his money, the cell phone was $20,000 and the boy just give him $5000 and he tell the boy that he could keep the phone and keep the money because he don’t want that. Like they got into an argument and he left and go home,” the mother had related to this publication.
Shortly afterwards, Toney went to a bar where the argument escalated, and he was attacked with a knife.
Police had been on the hunt for Johnson ever since.