Duo arraigned for murder of Fyrish construction worker

Twenty-five-year-old Sampson Gagaprasad and 27-year-old Kris Nandalall, both of Chesney Village, Corentyne Berbice were on Thursday arraigned for the murder of Orlando Jonas.

The men were not required to plead to the indictable charge when it was read to them by Magistrate Renita Singh during their virtual appearance at the Whim Magistrate’s Court.
They were represented by Attorneys-at-Law Sanjeev Datadin and Motie Singh. The two men told the court that they were beaten by the Police and forced to sign a document.
It was reported that Jonas and 18-year-old Mahendra Ramnarine were heading home and in the vicinity of a popular shop at Number One Village when they were confronted and attacked by two men who attempted to relieve them of their personal items.
Jonas was stabbed to death while Ramnarine was slashed to his face.
Following the incident, which occurred on Saturday last, the two “suspects” turned up at the Albion Police Station claiming that they were attacked and robbed. They were arrested.
But one of the suspects who confessed to the crime claimed that he acted in self-defence. Attorney-at-Law Singh told Guyana Times that in law they were both presumed innocent until found guilty.
He noted that the entire incident was captured on video that showed what transpired on that fateful day.
The incident had sparked protest action by villagers calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, both Gagaprasad and Nandalall were remanded to prison. They were scheduled to return to court on September 29, 2020. The matter was transferred to the Albion Magistrate’s Court.