Psychiatric report delay postpones Hururu Mission killing sentencing

…psychiatric evaluation not received from medical superintendent

The sentencing hearing for Maxton Walker, the Hururu Mission man, who pleaded guilty to the brutal chopping death of logger Marcus Adrian, was on Wednesday postponed in the Berbice High Court. The postponement occurred after the court was told that a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation had not been completed because the National Psychiatric Hospital reportedly never received the order directing that the assessment be carried out.
Walker appeared before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall for what was scheduled to be a sentencing hearing following his guilty plea in April this year to the March 18, 2024, killing. However, before the sentencing process could proceed fully, State Prosecutor Marisa Edwards informed the court that Dr Meenawattie Rajkumar, Medical Superintendent of the National Psychiatric Hospital and forensic psychiatrist, indicated that the institution did not receive the court order requesting the psychiatric evaluation of Walker.

Additionally, the court also heard that the report from the Welfare Department remained outstanding.
Walker is being represented by attorney Charlyn Artiga.
The accused had earlier admitted that he unlawfully killed 36-year-old Marcus Adrian of Hururu Mission, Upper Berbice River. Investigators had alleged that the two men were drinking together at Seven Miles, Hururu Mission, when an argument erupted, and Adrian was chopped multiple times on his body.
According to the prosecution’s case, Adrian collapsed along a trail and was later transported to the Linden Hospital Complex, where he was pronounced dead. Walker was subsequently arrested after residents and community leaders alerted the Police.
A post-mortem examination later revealed that Adrian sustained 23 incised wounds, including 13 to the anterior neck. The largest wound reportedly measured approximately 21x2x4 centimetres. Major blood vessels on both sides of the neck were severed, while the larynx was completely cut. Injuries were also found to the trachea and thyroid.
The cause of death was given as haemorrhage and shock due to multiple incised wounds.
The matter was adjourned to facilitate the completion and submission of the outstanding psychiatric and welfare reports before sentencing can proceed.