Black Water Backdam double murder: Magistrate to rule on whether 5 accused will face Judge, jury

Come August 23, a Magistrate will rule on whether the five accused in the murders of Steven Niles and Suresh Bachan will face trial for the offence by a jury before a Judge.
A Guyanese and four Venezuelans have been on remand since August 25, 2021, for the killings. Those charged are Nicholas Caesar, 24, called “Wild Buck”, a miner of Yarrowkabra village, Linden-Soesdyke Highway; and Venezuelan nationals Juan Oscar Calderon Lopez, called “Gordo”, 27; Jose Ramon Tovar, 26, called “Bashein”; Luis Miguel Monrroy, 37, and Jhonny Gonzalvez, called “Sankey Pankey”, 49.
They have not been required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that between August 4 and 5, 2021, at Blackwater Backdam, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), they murdered Niles, 32, and Suresh Bachan, 63, during the course or furtherance of a robbery.
During the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the joint charge, several witnesses testified on behalf of the prosecution. Also, several exhibits were admitted into evidence, including the dead men’s post-mortem reports and caution statements for Caesar, Tovar, and Lopez.

On July 31, a no-case submission was made on Gozalves’s behalf by his attorney-at-law.
However, last Friday, this was overruled by the presiding Magistrate.
The case is now postponed until August 23 for the court to rule on the sufficiency of evidence against the five accused. The case is being prosecuted by Superintendent of Police Shellon Daniels on behalf of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Reports are that the now dead men were employed at a mining camp in the region.
After they had finished working on August 4, 2021, they went to their separate camps about 100 metres apart. The following morning, the mining camp’s General Manager discovered Niles and Bachan lying motionlessly in their hammocks.
According to reports, the mining camp was attacked by armed men who carted off cash, a firearm, and a top mat from the sluice box.
The robbery was reported to the Police and the five accused were subsequently arrested and charged. Post-mortem examinations conducted on Niles and Bachan revealed that they died as a result of blunt trauma to their heads. (G1)