Navindra Sugrim, Chaitram Persaud, and Eashwar Soodeo at court on Wednesday
A case that had gripped the East Bank Essequibo community of Parika Façade for nearly three years has ended in the acquittal of Navindra Sugrim, Chaitram Persaud, and Eashwar Soodeo, three men who had been charged with the killing of Trevor Allen of Parika Façade, East Bank Essequibo.
Presided over by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Demerara High Court, the trial ended on Wednesday when a 12-member jury unanimously found the accused not guilty of either murder or manslaughter.
Justice Barlow has thus discharged the defendants, thereby bringing an end to the trial.
Recap
Trevor Allen was fatally beaten and stabbed in a confrontation that escalated at a neighbourhood shop in Parika Façade, East Bank Essequibo on October 31,2021.
Initially, four individuals, one of whom was a 16-year-old, had been charged in connection with Allen’s death, each defendant being accused of participating in an alleged attack involving knives and cutlasses. The three adult defendants were Navindra Sugrim, Chaitram Persaud, and Eashwar Soodeo.
According to police reports in November 2021, the attack unfolded when Allen and his two brothers were drinking at a local shop and he became involved in an argument that turned violent. One of the defendants had reportedly punched Allen, and that had initiated a fight that quickly intensified as three others allegedly joined in with weapons.
Allen was fatally stabbed five times in the abdomen, and received a deep cut to the forehead. Harvey Allen, the victim’s brother, had attempted to intervene, but had suffered injuries himself and had ultimately had to seek refuge in a nearby canal, from where he had reportedly witnessed the continued assault on his brother.
At an initial court appearance in 2021, the four accused had not been required to enter pleas to the indictable charges of murder, as Magistrate Zameena Ali-Seepaul had remanded the three adults to prison and the teen to the Juvenile Holding Center.
This case has seen additional tragedy, as one of the suspects, Davin Persaud, known as “Chrissy,” had reportedly committed suicide in custody shortly after being apprehended.
After a prolonged period of legal proceedings and testimony in the Demerara High Court, the jury reached its decision on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, following several hours of deliberation. (G9)
Recap
