Accused to know fate today in Corentyne fatal stabbing

A 12-member jury is expected to decide the fate of Andrew Seegobin on Monday after attorneys for the State and the defence delivered their closing addresses in the trial into the fatal stabbing of Ramanand Mingo of John’s Settlement, Port Mourant, at the Berbice High Court. In her closing address to the jury, Defence Attorney Soraya Sabsook urged jurors to carefully consider the circumstances surrounding the confrontation, maintaining that Seegobin acted in self-defence. She pointed to a video interview conducted with police in which the accused displayed a stab wound to his chest, which he claimed was inflicted by the now deceased during the altercation. State prosecutor Marisa Edwards, however, urged the jury to reject the defence’s claim of self-defence, arguing that the evidence presented during the trial pointed to the accused’s guilt. She told jurors that the deceased was unarmed at the time of the confrontation and reminded them of the testimony of eyewitness Dianand Mingo, who said he saw Seegobin stab his brother. Edwards also referenced the video evidence tendered during the trial, including footage that captured events leading up to the confrontation, and argued that the circumstances did not support the accused’s version of events.

The prosecutor further told the jury that the accused had placed himself in confrontation with the deceased and that the evidence did not support the defence’s suggestion that Seegobin was acting to protect himself. She argued that the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the evidence presented by witnesses and the medical findings, showed that the fatal wound was inflicted during the confrontation and urged the jury to return a verdict based solely on the evidence placed before the court. The court had earlier heard from several witnesses as the prosecution sought to establish the events which led to the fatal stabbing of Ramnarayan Mingo of John’s Settlement, Port Mourant, on November 19, 2023. Among those who testified was Government Pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan, who told the court that Mingo died as a result of a stab wound to the heart. The prosecution also tendered three video recordings as part of its evidence, including footage recorded by the accused, which captured events leading up to the confrontation and is believed to have ended seconds before the fatal stabbing.
A key eyewitness for the State was the deceased man’s brother, Dianand Mingo, who told the court that he saw Seegobin stabbing his brother during the altercation. Seegobin, however, denied stabbing Mingo when he gave evidence from the dock and maintained that he had been acting in self-defence. The fatal incident occurred on the evening of November 19, 2023, at Amos Shop at John’s Settlement, Port Mourant, Corentyne, where a confrontation between the men escalated. Mingo sustained the stab wound during the altercation and was taken to the Port Mourant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Seegobin was subsequently charged with the killing and is expected to know his fate on Monday when the case resumes before the Berbice High Court.