Police on Saturday made a breakthrough in the murder of 55-year-old Terry Lackhan of Herstelling, East
Dead: Terry Lackhan
Bank Demerara, after the detained suspect confessed to killing the man.
The nude body of the Gafsons Industries Limited’s Manager was found hanging from a cord in a wardrobe at his Lot 39 Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, house on Thursday night. The discovery was made by the downstairs neighbour, sometime around 23:00h, after the woman saw a strange person leaving the yard with several bags.
According to A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) Commander, Clifton Hicken, the post-mortem of the body revealed that Lackhan died as a result of strangulation. He added that they arrested a suspect on Friday night and during investigations, the person confessed to the murder.
However, Hicken noted that while they made this breakthrough, investigators are since looking for a second suspect.
“The post-mortem concluded that it was strangulation. We got the suspect in custody and he confessed. But we’re looking for another suspect and he (suspect in custody) is assisting with the investigations,” the A Division Commander stated.
Meanwhile, Head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Wendell Blanhum told Guyana Times that the suspect in custody and the one on the run – both of whom are employees of the same company as Lackhan – were seen coming out of the yard on the night of the murder.
“We have an eyewitness who placed both men at the scene, we already have one in custody and so we are looking for the second suspect,” the Crime Chief stated. Blanhum further related that based on the statement of the suspect in custody, it appeared as though the murder was planned.
“Well they would have gone to the house before and based on the statement given to investigators, the murder was planned. They wouldn’t rob him alone because they are known to him and he would have testified against them so they had to kill him,” the Crime Chief stated.
Guyana Times understands that Lakhan was living alone in the upper flat of the two-storey house. The man was seen earlier in the night consuming alcohol at a Chinese restaurant in the village.
Rayad Lackhan, the only son of the dead man, told reporters that he was informed about the tragedy from the bottom flat neighbour. He explained that the neighbour heard strange noises coming from the upper flat but dismissed it because whenever Lakhan was intoxicated, there would be a lot of noises.
“Normally when he drink and come home, he would be disoriented and would probably walk into something or knock down something. So she heard the commotion upstairs and assumed that he was drunk… She told me that’s why she didn’t call me earlier because she assumed he was drunk and moving around and when the wifi cut off, she thought he had tripped on the wire and disconnect it,” he related.
However, the young man noted that the neighbour became suspicious after she heard the gate opening and observed a strange man leaving the yard with several bags in his hand.
“When she saw the person leaving with the bags, that’s when she got scared and realised that something serious has happened,” he added.
It was reported that several items, including a computer that went missing from Lackhan’s house, was found at the home of the suspect that is in Police custody.
Investigations are ongoing.
