Corentyne fatal stabbing: After 2½ hour deliberation, jury returns guilty verdict

A Berbice jury on Monday found Andrew Seegobin guilty of the murder of Corentyne resident Ramanand Mingo, called “Rambo,” following approximately two and a half hours of deliberation.
Following the verdict, trial judge Justice Deborah Kumar-Chetty adjourned the matter to April 17 by which time several reports are to be presented to the court to assist in the sentencing process. These include a probation report, a victim impact statement, and a prison conduct report, while both the prosecution and the defence have been directed to file submissions outlining aggravating and mitigating factors.

The State’s case, led by prosecutor Marisa Edwards, relied heavily on the testimony of the deceased’s brother, Dianand Mingo, who told the court that he witnessed the fatal stabbing during an altercation at a shop in the village. He maintained that his brother was unarmed at the time, although under cross-examination he admitted that he had, at one point, been outside during the commotion and had thrown bricks.
Further evidence came from shop operators, Parbattie Rangasammy and her son, Amos Rangasammy, who described the confusion and escalation at Amos Shop where the incident unfolded. Parbattie told the court that the Mingo brothers had been asked to leave and that she was pushed to the ground during the confrontation, while Amos testified that after seeing his mother fall, he armed himself with a cutlass. He said that amid the commotion he later observed one of the Mingo brothers bleeding, while Seegobin was no longer at the scene.
Medical evidence was also provided by Government Pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan, who told the court that Mingo died from shock and haemorrhage due to a stab wound to the heart. He explained that the injury was a clean, forceful wound which would have caused death in a very short time, and was highly unlikely to have been accidental, although he noted that such injuries could occur during an altercation.
The prosecution also relied on video evidence which was tendered and admitted during the trial, including recordings said to have been made by the accused, footage from the scene, and a police-station interview. The jury was shown clips capturing portions of the altercation at the shop, with the recordings forming a key part of the State’s effort to establish the sequence of events.

“Bad situation”
In his defence, Seegobin gave sworn testimony from the dock, telling the court that he had earlier been verbally abused by the deceased and later encountered the Mingo brothers outside his home, one of whom he claimed was armed with a cutlass. He said he subsequently went to a nearby shop where music was playing, but realised he was in what he described as a “bad situation” when the brothers arrived. According to Seegobin, he began recording the encounter on his phone, pushed Mingo, and fled the scene by jumping a fence, maintaining that he acted out of fear for his safety and denied stabbing the deceased.

In her closing address, defence attorney Suriya Sabsook urged the jury to carefully consider the circumstances under which the incident unfolded, maintaining that her client had acted out of fear for his safety during a volatile confrontation. She pointed to inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case and argued that the evidence supported the possibility that Seegobin reacted to a perceived threat, raising reasonable doubt as to his guilt.
In response, prosecutor Marisa Edwards urged the jury to reject the defence’s claim of self-defence, arguing that the evidence presented throughout the trial showed that Mingo was unarmed and that Seegobin had placed himself into the confrontation. She pointed to the consistency of the eyewitness testimony, medical findings and video evidence, submitting that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
After hearing the evidence and submissions from both sides, the 12-member jury, retired to deliberate and returned approximately two and a half hours later with a unanimous verdict, finding Seegobin guilty of the murder of Ramanand Mingo.
The fatal incident occurred on November 19, 2023, at Amos Shop in John’s Settlement, Port Mourant, Corentyne, where a confrontation between Seegobin and the Mingo brothers escalated into violence. According to evidence presented during the trial, the men had earlier encountered each other in the village before the situation intensified at the shop, where an altercation broke out among several persons. It was during that confrontation that Mingo was stabbed to the chest. He was subsequently taken to the Port Mourant Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Following the verdict, the deceased’s mother, Lilowtie Ramsammy, and his brother, Dianand Mingo, who was a key witness during the trial, expressed satisfaction with the jury’s decision. Mingo said he believes justice was served, while his mother noted that while she is pleased with the verdict, she is awaiting the sentencing phase before she can say justice has been fully done.