…as CCTV footage shows duo driving along Sherrif Street before discovery of killing
One day after 35-year-old attorney-at-law Richard Layne had been found murdered in front of his home at Century Palm Gardens in Durban Backlands, Georgetown, his roommate Tony Sulker, a 29-year-old police sergeant, has died by suicide.
Dead: Tony Sulker
Guyana Times understands that Sulker had been questioned following the discovery of Layne’s body, but had been released on Thursday evening, although ordered to return to the CID Headquarters on Friday.
“He did turn up, but left unknowingly to the detectives …it is assumed that he was told that detectives were along Sherrif Street looking at CCTV footage…he left, and it is further assumed that he purchased the poison, went home, and drank it,” a source close to the investigation explained.
Before the police had collected the CCTV footage that incriminated Sulker, Sulker had been questioned but denied leaving the home on that fateful night. The evidence, however, revealed that Sulker and Layne had been in the car driving along Sherrif Street.
Further, the source has said that, contrary to reports that Sulker had confessed to the crime, detectives had been unable to question him because of his medical condition.
Murdered: Richard Layne
In addition, this publication has been informed that the late attorney and the police sergeant might have shared an intimate relationship.
An autopsy performed on the body of Layne by Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh determined that his death has resulted from a stab wound to the neck. According to the autopsy results, the wound went from left to right, and it was determined that a sharp instrument – measuring at least 17cm in length – had been used.
Meanwhile, police on Friday evening said that further investigations were conducted, and detectives on Friday canvassed Sheriff Street for additional CCTV footage. On viewing the CCTV footage obtained from a nearby building on Sheriff Street in the vicinity of Kamboat Chinese Restaurant, it was observed that at about 21:31h on the night of August 7, Layne’s car — a burgundy Jaguar vehicle with number plate PYY 2850, was observed driving north on Sheriff Street and stopped in the vicinity of the Kamboat Restaurant.
“It was then observed that a male, suspected to be Tony Sulker, dressed in black three-quarter pants and a green jersey, exited the Jaguar car’s back passenger seat and went into Kamboat Restaurant. A short while after, it was observed that Sulker exited Kamboat with a white plastic bag containing what appeared to be Chinese food and entered the car’s front passenger seat. The Jaguar car then proceeded to turn west onto John Street. There were no more cameras in that area to see where the car turned. However, at 21:39 hrs, it was observed that the car drove south along Mandela Avenue and then turned east into Hadfield Street, heading towards D’Urban Backlands,” Police said in a statement.
According to Police, at about 13:00h on Friday, the mother of Layne, contacted the police and reported that she was about to leave her deceased son’s residence at Lot 183 Century Palm D’Urban Backlands when she observed Sulker drove into the yard at a fast rate and parked his car in the garage.
“She said she immediately sensed something was wrong and decided to turn back. When she got to the house, she observed Sulker lying at the door on the bottom flat of the said house with what appeared to be vomit and a green substance about his body. She immediately called the ambulance, and EMT from Central Fire Service responded. Sulker was escorted to the GPHC,” the police statement said. Police further said that Sulker’s car, an Allion bearing registration number PAC 7428, was seen parked in the yard. The vehicle was processed, and two white bottles with a green liquid substance were found on the floor of the vehicle.
A search was carried out on the house, and the clothing Sulker was seen wearing on the CCTV footage obtained on the night in question was found in a washing machine on the bottom flat of the house, already washed and dried.
“Other dirty clothing was seen in his clothes basket. The items were all placed in separate evidence bags, sealed, and taken to the crime laboratory for forensic examination. DNA samples were also taken from Tony Sulker,” the statement noted.
RECAP
It has been reported that Layne’s lifeless body was found on Wednesday evening in his Jaguar motorcar that was parked in front of his home, and there were two gaping wounds to his neck. At the time of the incident, the late lawyer had shared a house with his friend Sulker.
Police have said that, at about 19:00h on Wednesday, Layne’s cousin Michael Harden had reportedly visited him, and they had hung out for some time. While Harden was there, Layne had had the urge to drink a Starbucks Coffee, and they had left in Harden’s car to go to the MovieTowne Mall at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, where they had bought the coffee. They returned to Layne’s home at about 19:15h.
By this time, Sulker was asleep in his room in the upper flat of the building, and Harden and Layne had reportedly hung out on the verandah until about 20:17h, when Harden left for his home at Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
Harden has told detectives that, before he left, he had made sure that Layne had locked both gates to the house and yard. At the time, Layne’s car, a Jaguar registered as PYY 2850, was parked in the garage.
Sulker is said to have awoken at about 22:00h to use the washroom, and had then gone to the kitchen, where he observed Layne’s car parked on the bridge in front of the house with Layne in the driver’s seat in a ‘slumped position’. Upon seeing this, he reportedly ran to the car and attempted to open the car doors, but they were all locked. He then contacted Layne’s mother who resides in Campbellville, Georgetown, and upon her arrival, they both attempted to open the car doors, but were unsuccessful.
At that time, the woman instructed Sulker to break the glass to the driver’s side door, which he did by using a hammer. As they opened the door, they observed Layne was bleeding from a wound to his neck, and immediately summoned an ambulance and contacted the police.
Layne was, however, pronounced dead by a doctor at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Upon inspection, two wounds were seen on Layne’s neck. Investigations are ongoing.
