“Mango Man’s” wife, daughter testify

“Smallie”, Nero murder trial

As the 2007 “Mango Man” murder trial continues at the Demerara High Court, the wife and daughter of deceased Kumar Singh called “Mango Man” recalled the harrowing night bandits stormed their Cove and John, East Coast Demerara (ECD) premises during which Singh was shot and later died. The two accused, Mark Royden “Smallie” Williams and Sherwin Nero called “Catty” were indicted on allegations that they were involved in the August 30, 2007, murder during the course or in the furtherance of a robbery at the ECD man’s home. They have, however, denied the State’s case.
Indroutie Singh, wife of Kumar Singh recalled that her sister and her family were visiting from Suriname and were drinking a few shots of rum on the night of the attack. Singh told the jury that she heard a gunshot and someone said: “Pass what y’all get.” She recalled being in the lower flat of their two-storied home when she reportedly saw two men standing in front of her sister-in-law’s husband and her own husband whom she claimed was wearing several gold rings at the time.
The woman further testified to hearing a man ask her daughter for her mother then several gunshots rang out. Afterwards, she said the men ran downstairs and fled the scene and she then saw her husband was shot and without his rings. Kumar was rushed to Georgetown Public Hospital in a police vehicle and he later died. She said she then returned to the institution’s mortuary where she identified his remains.
Their daughter, Deoranie Singh, who was a teenager at the time testified to hearing “terrible gunshots” and later seeing her father in blood. She said the bandits asked for jewellery and the $7 million the family was keeping. She, however, noted that she told them that no one kept that amount and repeated that they had no money to hand over.
“We keep telling them ‘no, we don’t have money’ and they keep insisting that ‘yes we have it’”.
She said that their wardrobe upstairs was shot at and a male had lashed her causing her nose to bleed. It was after the men fled that she ran to her father, held him and screamed. The two accused men’s attorney, Nigel Hughes, declined to cross-examine the two witnesses.
It was earlier in the week that Police Detective, Inspector Suraj Singh claimed that the duo, upon being captured in 2008, admitted under caution that an ex-Police accomplice was the one who transported them from the scene via a horse cart. The matter continues before Justice James Bovell-Drakes in a case being prosecuted by State Counsel Tamica Clarke.