“Smallie” prison escape: Prison officers, 2 others charged granted $750,000 bail

After spending almost one month on remand, four Prison Officers, a businessman and a Venezuelan national who have been charged with conspiring to facilitate the escape of the now late death row inmate Royden “Smallie” Williams from the maximum-security Mazaruni Prison have each been placed on $750,000 bail following their arraignment before Bartica Magistrate Christel Lambert on Thursday.

The four prison officers are: Alexander Hopkinson, 58, Superintendent of the said prison and resident of Bartica Housing Scheme, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). He was rehired by the Prison Service after retiring. Oldfield Romulus, 50, a resident of Victoria Street, Cumberland Village, East Canje Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). He is the officer who is second in command at the Mazaruni Prison. Conroy Hosannah, 35, a resident of East Canje, Berbice; and Omar Witherspoon, 26, of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam Berbice, Region Six.

They have been charged along with Rajmohan Autor, called “Chico”, a 48-year-old businessman of Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE); and Venezuelan national Frangeliz Jugandry Flores Perez, 28, of Kitty, Georgetown.
Making their second court appearance on Thursday, the defendants were each released on bail on condition that they lodge their passports with the Clerk of Court pending the hearing and determination of their trial.
The case was adjourned until July 18 for disclosure of statements.
Hosannah and Witherspoon are being represented by Attorney-at-Law Patrice Henry, Romulus is represented by Attorney Eusi Anderson, and Hopkinson is represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard Da Silva.
Jointly, they have been charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 34 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, in that on May 19, in Essequibo, they conspired with other persons unknown to assist Williams in escaping from lawful custody under a sentence of death.

It has been reported that on the day in question, Perez visited Williams before his well-planned escape.
Williams made a daring escape from the prison with the assistance of heavily armed accomplices. The escape occurred in broad daylight and involved the use of a speedboat. During the escape, the escort party accompanying Williams was attacked with AK-47 rifles by the individuals on the boat, which was in the Mazaruni River. No prison officer was injured during the ordeal.

Following Williams’s escape, a reward of $10 million was announced by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for any information leading to his arrest, but the convict was shot and killed during a Joint Service operation on June 1 at 47 Miles in Region Seven. Days prior, two of his accomplices were also shot dead by law enforcement.

Williams was found guilty of killing 12 persons, three of whom were Policemen, during the Bartica Massacre in 2008, and was sentenced to death. Another death sentence was imposed on him in September 2022 for the murder of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Corporal Ivor Williams, who was shot dead on January 23, 2008.
Williams had previously escaped from the Camp Street Prison on July 9, 2017, but was eventually recaptured on October 10, 2017 on the Weldaad Public Road, West Coast Berbice (WCB).
At the time of his death, the mass murderer had two appeals against his murder convictions and death sentences pending at the Court of Appeal of Guyana.
He was cremated by the State on June 9.