– another for the murder of Kaneville man during home invasion
Three men are presently on trial at the Demerara High Court on separate murder charges.
Rayan Carter, 24, of Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD), is on trial before Justice Navindra Singh and a jury for the murder of a machine operator who was shot and killed during a robbery at his home.
Dead: Ishwar Ramanah
The charge against Carter states that between December 13, 2017 and January 13, 2018, in the county of Demerara, he murdered 30-year-old Ishwar Ramanah, called “Jack,” of Kaneville, EBD during the course of a robbery. Carter has pleaded not guilty to the offence.
It has been reported that Ramanah was injured after he was shot to his abdomen when two armed men invaded his home just after midnight on December 13, 2017. He died while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital on January 13, 2018.
During the robbery, the machine operator was relieved of a gold chain valued at $40,000 before the bandits made good their escape. The injured man had been taken for emergency attention at a medical facility, and had undergone surgery, but succumbed one month later.
Reports are that the Police were able to recover a spent shell casing at the crime scene. Carter was subsequently arrested by Police ranks and placed on an identification parade, where he reportedly was positively identified.
In the other case, Roberto Miggins, called “Hot Skull,” and Quasi Benjamin, called “Rambo”, are on trial before Justice Brassington Reynolds for the murder of gold miner Hilton Smith, which occurred on October 14, 2016 at Mazawini Backdam, Port Kaituma, North West District (NWD).
They, too, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them.
Based on reports, Smith, called “Hilary”, of Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) was shot and killed after a group of men with high-powered rifles pounced on a mining camp and opened fire. This forced workers to run for cover in the nearby bush.
The gunmen reportedly took away a quantity of raw gold. After the gunmen left, Smith’s body was discovered with several gunshot wounds.
In June 2019, Miggins and Benjamin were acquitted of the October 2016 murder of Mario Pozzer, a Brazilian gold miner. The men were discharged after the trial judge upheld no-case submissions made by their lawyers, and directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.
According to reports, the bullet-riddled body of Pozzer was discovered at 10 Miles, Port Kaituma, next to the All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) he used to get to and from his mining camp.
