Mobil gas station bombing case: Magistrate to rule on no-case submissions on November 10

Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty is expected to rule on November 10 on whether the four accused in the deadly October 2025 Mobil Service Station bombing case should be committed to stand trial in the High Court in Demerara.
At Monday’s hearing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, the magistrate informed the court that the prosecution had responded to the no-case submissions filed by the defence, paving the way for her determination on the sufficiency of the evidence presented.

The submissions were filed on September 9 on behalf of Venezuelan nationals Jhonny Boodram and Alexander Bettencourt, as well as Guyanese-Venezuelan national, Krystal LaCruz.

Attorney Melvin Duke represents Bettencourt, while Boodram is represented by attorney Mikel Puran. LaCruz is represented by attorney Tifane Rutherford.
However, attorney Shellon Boyce of the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic previously informed the court that no no-case submission would be filed on behalf of Venezuelan national Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedemo. She said her client would abide by the court’s ruling.
Poedemo, whom the prosecution has described as the alleged mastermind behind the attack, is the only one of the four accused for whom no such submission was filed.
The four accused appeared virtually before Magistrate McGusty as the court continued the paper committal proceedings.
The prosecution, led by Senior Police Legal Advisor Mandel Moore, formally closed its case on July 8 after tendering its final batch of documentary evidence.
The evidence included additional video recordings and 43 photographs depicting the Mobil Service Station at the corner of Regent and King Streets, Georgetown and the surrounding area.
The prosecution has also presented witness statements, forensic and DNA reports from specialists in India, photographs, documentary exhibits and video recordings gathered during the investigation.
The paper committal process requires the magistrate to examine the prosecution’s documentary evidence and determine whether it establishes a prima facie case against the accused.
Unlike a preliminary inquiry, the process does not involve witnesses giving oral testimony before the magistrate.
Poedemo is charged under Section 3(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act with allegedly placing and detonating an explosive device with the intention of threatening Guyana’s security and sovereignty or terrorising the public. His co-accused, Bettencourt, Boodram and LaCruz, are charged with aiding and abetting the alleged terrorist act.
The charges stem from the October 26, 2025 explosion at the Mobil Service Station, which claimed the life of six-year-old Soraya Bourne. She was inside a vehicle with family members when the blast occurred and later died from her injuries. Several relatives were also injured, while nearby buildings and vehicles sustained damage.
The four accused remain on remand while the court considers the evidence.
The quartet is among seven people initially charged in connection with the bombing.
In April, Guyanese nationals Ramesh Pramdeo and Wayne Correia were discharged after Magistrate Alisha George, sitting at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court, upheld no-case submissions made by attorney Bernard Da Silva, finding insufficient evidence to commit them to trial.
However, Venezuelan national Jennifer Rodriguez, who was jointly charged with the two men, was committed to stand trial in the High Court on a charge of aiding and abetting terrorism.
She was refused bail and remains on remand pending trial.
Investigators have alleged that Poedemo entered Guyana illegally by boat from Venezuela hours before the bombing and admitted to bringing the explosive device into the country.
Police have also alleged that he identified himself as a member of the Venezuelan Syndicato gang known as “Organisation R”.
The Government has previously indicated that it intends to seek the death penalty against anyone convicted in the case, as Guyana’s anti-terrorism laws provide for capital punishment where a terrorist act results in death.