“Aunty Betty” murder: Joint murder charge instituted against great niece, neighbour

A joint murder charge was on Thursday instituted against the two accused in the murder of 85-year-old Sumintra Sawh, called “Aunty Betty”.
Sawh’s great niece, Roshnie Basdeo, also called “Mala”, a mother of three, made a virtual court appearance on Thursday when Magistrate Peter Hugh, sitting at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court, told her that the Police were withdrawing the murder charge against her.

The 37-year-old was then charged jointly with Mohammed Shaheed in relation to the murder of Sawh of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice (WCB).
It is alleged that the duo murdered the pensioner between November 27 and November 28 on her birthday.
Police Prosecutor, Corporal Garfield Edwards told the court that the prosecution was ready to commence the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder.
Both accused will have to return to court on December 14 when the prosecution is expected to make available all statements that it has.
Sawh’s lifeless body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the morning of November 28, about 04:00h at her Bush Lot home.
The media subsequently reported that Basdeo had confessed to killing her great aunt. She reportedly gave three different confessions, including the last one last Thursday, before she was charged.

In that statement, the woman reportedly said that her aunt visited her in the Police lock-ups and told her to tell the truth.
It was also reported that in that final confession statement, she said it was she alone who killed her great aunt – contradicting the two previous statements she allegedly gave to the Police.
She was initially charged last Friday with murder.
Shaheed also reportedly confessed to the crime.
He allegedly told investigators that it was he who killed the pensioner.
Shaheed was arrested on Saturday and on Monday, exactly one week after the pensioner’s murder, allegedly told investigators that he was hired as the ‘hitman’.
He said he met Basdeo just over a week prior to the incident and she told him that she was being put out of the house that she was living in at the time and she wanted to go and live in Aunty Betty’s house but she has to “Get rid of Aunty Betty first (kill she)”.
He confessed to agreeing to take the job if he was going to be paid.
Shaheed, in his confession statement, allegedly further told investigators that he instructed Basdeo to leave the door open on Sunday night.
After entering the house, he went to the back room where Basdeo was and asked her to go and check to see if “Aunty Betty” was asleep and after checking she told him yes, he allegedly said in a caution statement.
In his shocking confession statement, Shaheed allegedly said that he went into the pensioner’s room and took the piece of wood he was carrying and hit her four times to her head while she was asleep. Investigators were also told that the woman started to groan as she was receiving the lashes.
In the alleged confession statement Shaheed said that he then walked out of the room, threw the piece of wood in the hallway and told Basdeo to give him the money as he had completed his task, but she said she did not have the money at the time. (G4)