Date set for commencement of PI into Sir Mars’s murder

A date has been set for the start of the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the murder charge laid against 24-year-old Brian Richards in connection with the murder of educator Kirwyn Mars, aka “Sir Mars”.
Richards, a labourer and father of three, of John Fernandes Squatting Area in Georgetown, is accused of killing Mars, 51, of Lot 211 New Settlers Street, Mocha, East Bank Demerara, on Sunday May 7 at Perseverance, EBD.
When the matter continued on Tuesday before Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts, the Police Prosecutor served additional statements on Richards, who is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard Da Silva. Richards has been further remanded to prison, and will return to court on August 8 at 13:00h for the commencement of the PI.

The body of Mars was found pinned between his car and the fence of an apartment building at Perseverance, EBD. An autopsy revealed that he had been stabbed eight times; including to his chest, right shoulder, collarbone, left hand, and right elbow. His cause of death has been listed as injuries to the chest as a result of being crushed, compounded by “multiple cutaneous wounds.”
It has been reported that two days after committing the crime, Richards was arrested at his place of employment, and has since allegedly confessed to the murder. In his alleged confession statement, he detailed that, on the day in question, he and Mars had been at the Green City Bar in Georgetown, where they had consumed about two cases of beer altogether before departing the bar to travel to Diamond, EBD via the Mandela-Eccles Highway.

However, on their way to that location, a misunderstanding arose between them and a scuffle ensued, during which he had picked up a bottle and struck Mars to the head, but in retaliation, Mars had collected a knife that was in the car and had attacked him.
He alleged that he had managed to relieve Mars of the knife, and in turn had stabbed him several times.
Further, he told investigators that, after receiving the stab wounds, Mars had brought the car to a stop at a location in Providence, EBD, then exited from the driver’s seat and walked to the back of the vehicle. And while he, Richards, had been trying to retrieve his phone which had fallen in the car during the scuffle, his hand had touched the lever and accidentally put the car in reverse, ultimately crushing Mars. After realising that Mars was motionless, he said, he panicked and fled the scene.
Mars, who had been Deputy Principal of the New Central High School in Georgetown, had been a teacher since 1992. Beloved as a teacher, Mars had also been involved in theatre arts. (G1)