Lakeraj Fredericks, of La Grange, West Bank Demerara, was on Wednesday found guilty of the June 3, 2011 murder of his brother-in-law, Clifton Bonus, whose body was found buried in a shallow grave at Old England Backdam, Linden.
The 12-member jury made their unanimous decision after two hours of
Guilty: Lakeraj Fredericks will be sentenced on Monday
deliberations at the Demerara High Court. More than 12 witnesses testified during the trial.
The State’s case was that Fredericks and Bonus, who was called “Mutts”, had an argument over marijuana, after which Fredericks shot the deceased twice to the head. The shooting, which was carried out with a .32 calibre pistol, was said to have occurred at a marijuana field at Old England Backdam.
Fredericks denied the allegations and said Police forced him to sign a confession statement that he could not read. It was, however, contended that the defendant had called his mother two days after carrying out the crime and confessed that Bonus was shot before hanging up the phone.
He was jointly charged with a then 16-year-old accomplice, who allegedly helped him to bury the body, but the teenager was released after a no-case submission was upheld in the Magistrate’s Court. It was the said teen, Harley Tyson, who had led Police through the forest to the two-and-a-half-foot shallow grave in which the murdered man was buried.
It was later in June 2011 that Fredericks confessed to Police investigators that he was involved, but claimed that he only shot the deceased once and another accomplice finished the job after the gun was passed to him. This version of events, however, proved “untrue”. Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh testified that Bonus died from two gunshot wounds to the head, and noted that the state of decomposition showed that the body had been buried for two to nine days. Bonus, who was 21 at the time of his demise, was about to become a father, as his wife was pregnant. State Prosecutors Siand Dhurjon and Tuanna Hardy presented the State’s case, while the accused was represented by defence counsel Madan Kissoon. Fredericks will be sentenced by Justice Navindra Singh on Monday.
