“Grey Boy” to face Judge, jury today for Crum-Ewing’s murder

Regan “Grey Boy” Rodrigues will today be brought before a Judge and jury to face trial for the March 10, 2015 murder of political activist 40-year-old Courtney Crum-Ewing who was gunned down at Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
It was reported that the bullet-riddled body of Crum-Ewing was found at Third Avenue, Diamond New Scheme, EBD. He was shot twice to the temple, once to the back of the head, and twice to the stomach.
The Police in a statement had said that the political activist was accosted by four men in a car, one of whom discharged several rounds, hitting him about the body. It was reported that the killer(s) used a .32 pistol to execute Crum-Ewing.
However, Rodrigues was arrested, charged and remanded to prison for the murder in August 2015. The preliminary inquiry (PI) into Crum-Ewing’s murder was conducted before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
At the end of the PI in June 2017, Magistrate Latchman found that there was not sufficient evidence against Rodrigues for him to stand trial for the offence at the High Court. As such, she discharged Rodrigues, 44, of Riverview, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, and instructed him that he was free to go.
A few days later, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, ordered Magistrate Latchman to reopen the PI to facilitate additional evidence from Police witnesses and to rule on the voluntariness of oral statements given to detectives by Rodrigues.

The Magistrate complied with the DPP’s directive, and after doing so, ruled again that there was no evidence against Rodrigues to put him on trial. Hence, the murder accused was discharged for the second time. “There is absolutely no evidence,” the Magistrate had noted in her ruling.
But following the discharge, the DPP issued a letter to Magistrate Latchman instructing her to commit the matter to the High Court for trial.
“In accordance with Section 72 (2) (ii) (a) of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01, I hereby remit to your Worship the above-mentioned matter and direct you to comply with Sections 65 and 66 of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01 with a view of committing the accused,” the DPP stated in the missive.
However, Magistrate Latchman had underscored that while the DPP is of the “opinion” that there is evidence against Rodrigues for the indictable offence, her court maintains there is no evidence against Rodrigues in relation to the murder committed on Crum-Ewing. The Magistrate then discharged Rodrigues again. But the Police had refused to release him from custody.
The DPP then commenced proceedings in the High Court in which she advanced, among other things, that the Magistrate exceeded her authority in refusing to comply with her instructions to commit Rodrigues to trial.
The DPP had sought other orders directing the Magistrate to show why she should not be compelled and directed to re-open the PI as directed and make the committal.
In January 2018, Justice of Appeal Dawn Gregory denied Magistrate Latchman’s request to stay a ruling by High Court Judge Brassington Reynolds to commit Rodrigues to stand trial for murder. Consequently, the Magistrate was compelled to make the committal.
Magistrate Latchman has appealed the ruling by Justice Reynolds. The matter is yet to be called at the Court of Appeal. In July 2015, Rodrigues was charged with unlawful possession of a gun and 14 live rounds of ammunition. It was reported that the gun was linked to Crum-Ewing’s murder.
He was later freed of those charges after a Magistrate found that the prosecution failed to prove the elements of the offence. In October 2017, Rodrigues was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for threatening Crum-Ewing’s mother.
The Court heard that on August 12, 2017, at Regent and Alexander Streets, Georgetown, he threatened Donna Harcourt.
Prior to these, Rodrigues was also sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of escaping from Police custody.