Berbice phone card vendor’s murder: 2 masterminds get death sentence, accomplices handed life sentences

Mark Dhuman and Abdul Andre Azimullah, the two masterminds in the February 2017 murder of phone card vendor Danian Jagdeo, have both been sentenced to death. 
Their co-accused, Zahir Abdul and Shannon Batson, have each been sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of being paroled after 35 years. And Satesh Budhram, the youngest of the set, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.
The custodial sentences have been imposed by Justice Sandil Kissoon in the Berbice High Court on Wednesday. The quintet has been found guilty of the crime of murder committed on Danian Jagdeo on February 8, 2017 at Adventure, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) during the course/ furtherance of a robbery. Their guilty verdict was rendered by a mixed 12-member jury on May 13.

The killers were represented by Attorneys-at-Law Siand Dhurjon, Moti Singh, Ravindra Mohabir, Sasha Roberts and Surihya Sabsook, while Senior State Counsel Abigail Gibbs had appeared on behalf of the prosecution.
During his sentencing remarks, Justice Kissoon described Jagdeo’s murder as a “heinous and unthinkable” crime that must be condemned by society in the strongest possible way.
Despite being found guilty as charged by a jury of their peers, Justice Kissoon highlighted, the convicts have not shown a “shred” of remorse, regret, or sympathy for their horrid actions, which have destroyed not only the victim’s family, but also society.
The late Danian Jagdeo’s wife, Mary Jagdeo, a teacher, told the court that her husband’s premature death has taken a psychological, physical, financial, and emotional toll on her life and that of her children.
“As a single mother, a status I earned abruptly, I had to embrace the fact that he was shot and left to die like an animal. I had to subsequently find out that I was pregnant while making funeral plans, and I had to process that this unborn child would inevitably share no sacred moment with his dad,” the grieving widow shared through her victim impact statement.
Noting that no other family should endure her situation, the woman implored Justice Kissoon to impose a harsh sentence on the convicts, to ensure that they suffer as her husband did.
On February 8, 2017, Danian Jagdeo was followed from Corriverton to the village of Adventure, after making several stops at places to conduct business. At Adventure, Jagdeo stopped at Country Chef Creole Snackette, and was in conversation with the business owner when a man pretending to be a customer walked into the establishment.
Jagdeo enquired whether the business owner knew the strange-looking man entering the premises. However, before the owner could respond properly, the man whipped out a gun and aimed it at Jagdeo.
Upon seeing this, the business owner ducked under the counter while several shots were fired. When the businessman resurfaced, the bandits were running out of the shop with Jagdeo’s bag, while the injured man lay in a pool of blood. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
By daylight the next day, the five men were in Police custody. The motorbike with a false number plate, which had been used to commit the robbery, was found a village away from the murder scene.