After nearly a decade: Man not guilty for 2016 Good Hope fire that killed elderly couple

…no agreement by jury for manslaughter charge

After close to a decade of legal proceedings and intense public interest, Sanjay George has been found not guilty in the harrowing 2016 deaths of Mohamed Munir, 75, and his wife Jamilla Munir, 70.
The elderly couple tragically perished in a fire that consumed their heavily grilled home in Good Hope, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), following a brutal robbery.
The jury at the High Court in Demerara delivered its verdict of not guilty after approximately two hours of deliberation. The trial was presided over by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow.

George, who had been facing two counts of murder in connection to the incident, was acquitted unanimously by the jury. However, on the lesser charge of manslaughter, jurors could not come to a consensus, resulting in no verdict being recorded on that count.
Throughout the trial, George was represented by Attorney-at-Law Kiswana Jefford, affiliated with the law firm Hughes, Fields and Stoby. His legal team maintained that George’s confession was coerced under duress, alleging he had been physically assaulted by police officers while in custody. George, who had been held on remand since December 2018, consistently maintained his innocence throughout the legal process.
Significantly, this case saw the earlier release of three of George’s co-accused. In 2023, Jason Howard, Shamadeen Mohammed, and Joel Blair were all discharged after the presiding judge directed the jury to return formal not-guilty verdicts.
That decision followed the court’s conclusion that there was no admissible evidence tying them to the crime. Furthermore, questions were raised about the injuries all three had sustained during their time in police custody, injuries which remained unexplained.
The tragedy itself unfolded just after 11:00h on April 17, 2016, when the Munirs’ two-storey residence was set ablaze. Due to the intense flames and the security grills surrounding the house, the couple was unable to escape.
Neighbours reported hearing their desperate cries for help as the fire engulfed the structure.
After the fire was eventually extinguished, emergency responders retrieved their severely burned remains from the debris.
According to reports at the time, the blaze began in the upper flat of the house and spread rapidly throughout the building. Eyewitnesses said the fire consumed the structure in mere minutes.
Investigative reports revealed that one of the accused, who resided behind the Munirs’ home, allegedly confided in a friend that the elderly couple kept large sums of cash on the premises.
That information, according to police, sparked the creation of a six-person gang, including a lookout and a driver, who conspired to rob the couple.
Authorities stated that when the group forced their way into the residence, they searched for valuables, only to be interrupted when the Munirs were awakened by the disturbance. The intruders attempted to gain entry into the couple’s bedroom, which was located at the rear of the home. However, because of the house’s robust security features, they were unable to do so.
In frustration, the perpetrators reportedly set fire to a sofa and threw a gas cylinder into the flames before fleeing. The explosion that followed echoed through the neighbourhood, and the suspects escaped along a path that led behind the home, passing near a church and a cemetery.
While the verdict has closed this chapter for Sanjay George, the case remains a stark reminder of the violent tragedy that shook the Good Hope community nearly a decade ago, with no answers about what really occurred that night.