Judge, jury hear testimony from victim’s mother

2003 Blue Iguana murder trial

The mother of a man who was killed back in 2003 in front of the Blue Iguana Night Club, Alberttown, Georgetown, took the stand on Monday in the trial of his accused killer. Mark Lowchee, called “Mark Lee” is accused of the September 21, 2003 murder of Collis De Abreau. Lowchee has pleaded not guilty to the murder indictment presented against him by State Counsel Tiffini Lyken.
The trial of the murder accused commenced on Monday before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Georgetown. Lowchee, who is appearing in court virtually, is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Ravindra Mohabir.
During her opening address, Prosecutor Lyken told the jury that on September 21, 2003, at around 04:00h, De Abreau was standing with friends outside the Blue Iguana Night Club when an argument ensued between Lowchee and another person. According to the prosecutor, loud explosions were heard sometime after and De Abreau was seen running.
Prosecutor Lyken said that the young man was later discovered in a nearby yard with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to his chest. She said that his cause of death was given as perforation of the heart and lungs as a result of gunshot injuries. Following the killing, a wanted bulletin was issued for Lowchee. He was, however, apprehended by the Police until 2017.

Jone De Abreu, the mother of the now dead man, testified that during September 2003, she resided at Lot 57 Fourth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, with her husband and children. The woman said that at about 01:30h on September 21, 2003, she overheard Collis asking his stepfather for money.
That morning, Jone De Abreu recounted that she woke up around 05:00h and noticed that Collis was not there. She said she decided to go and look for him. She said that before she left for the road, she went into the washroom, where she heard five gunshots. Nevertheless, she went in search of her son at Fifth and Light Streets, Aberttown, Georgetown, where she met one of his male friends.
She told the court that she asked the man for “Collis” and he started “cursing me up.” She added that she then went to her sister’s home in the same area and told her that “Collis did not come home.” Jones related that she stayed at her sister’s residence for a while.
The woman recalled that she left and whilst walking down the road she saw a group of people gathered and a guy came up to her and told her that her son was shot. According to her, her son was placed in a vehicle and transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The witness related that when she arrived at the hospital, nurses took her into the Accident & Emergency Room where she saw her son lying motionlessly on a bed. De Abreu broke down into tears while relating that doctors later informed her that her son had died. The mother added that she examined her son’s body which had a wound to the left side chest.
Also, testifying was Police rank Eon Joseph, who told the court that on November 19, 2017, he was performing patrol duties when he received a report of a murder suspect standing at Middle and East Streets, Georgetown. Joseph said that he and a party of policemen went to the location where they contacted Lowchee, who fit the description of the murder suspect.
According to the Police rank, the murder accused told him that his name was “Mark Lee” after which he told him that he was wanted for a murder that occurred in 2003 and cautioned him before taking him into custody at the Alberttown Police Station. Police Sergeant Nigel Gravesande, who was part of the initial investigations was also called to the stand.
Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh give testimony about a post-mortem examination he performed on Collis De Abreu’s remains and his cause of death. Meanwhile, Akes De Abreau, the brother of the deceased, said he witnessed the post-mortem examination. This trial is continuing. (G1)