As investigations intensify into the murder of 25-year-old Joshua Hardatt, also called ‘Money’, a welder of Bloomfield Village, Corentyne Berbice, one of two suspects who were taken into custody has since confessed to the crime.
This is according to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, who told Guyana Times on Thursday that, during confession, the suspect – an ex-convict – accused the late welder of having had an affair with his wife while he was incarcerated.
Blanhum said the suspect confronted Hardatt on Tuesday evening, but Hardatt denied the allegation; and that was when the suspect became furious and death Hardatt several blows to his body.
Murdered: Joshua Hardatt
Blanhum said the suspect then placed Hardatt’s body in the motorcar and took it to Auchlyne, where he abandoned the vehicle with the body inside.
Persons traversing the area contacted the police on Wednesday morning at about 8:00h. Upon their arrival on the scene, police found the body of the young man lying face down in a crouching position, with marks of violence to the face and forehead, and a wound to the back of the head. Based on information received, the suspect and a female were arrested in Region Three.
Region Six Commander, Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus, has said that after receiving certain information on Wednesday evening, he contacted his colleague in Division Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and that led to the arrest of the prime suspect and a female.
According to Bacchus, phone records played an integral part in the investigation.
“It was very useful, based on the technology available to us. Not only cellphone records, we have our smart city project which would have assisted us, and (we have) records from the Transport and Harbours Department and the Berbice River Bridge,” he noted.
In regard to the suspect, Commander Bacchus related that he had been remanded on a wounding charge.
“There was a matter with him and his brother, and he was sentenced for three months and his brother for one month. During that period, the victim would have had a relationship with a female that is closely associated with the suspect, and hence it was reported that he would have sent threats to the victim…,” the Commander explained.
Meanwhile, Lalita Hardatt, mother of the victim, related on Wednesday that her son had left home at about 19:00h on Tuesday and had promised to return by 21:00h, but he did not, which she said was very unusual. “So, after 9 O’clock I started to call him on his phone, and it turned off. I see that he was not online, but I still tried calling, and I keep calling until 11 O’clock. At 11 O’clock, a girl called me and she asked for him. I told her that he was not at home, and asked what she wanted. She said that he had to do some work for her. She said she is from Albion. She tell me to let him call her when he come home,” the woman related. She added that, a few days prior, her son had told her that he had been threatened by a man who had recently been released from prison.
“Sunday night he went out and drink, and when he come home, he tell me that [mentioned name] want to knock him with a hammer and kill him,” the woman said as she cried in grief. Referring to the suspect, she said her son had told her he had threatened him. According to the woman, the man and her son had once worked together.
