“Smallie” cremated; sister agreed for State to arrange funeral – Home Affairs Ministry

Royden Durant also called “Royden Williams” and “Smallie”, who was shot and killed during a Joint Services operation, was cremated at the Memorial Garden on Friday during which relatives and friends paid their last respects.
However, prior to the funeral, the death-row inmate’s father, Maurice Williams, hosted a press briefing at the Daphne Rogers Building, Hughes Fields & Stoby, Hadfield and Cross Streets, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown office during which he accused the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) of not releasing his son’s body to the family.
He stated that the family was contemplating taking legal action against the State’s refusal to hand over the body.

“We contacted and received a response from the Attorney General indicating that the State had no difficulties releasing the body for burial. The Attorney General, however, subsequently indicated that the body is in the lawful custody of the State and the State will not be releasing the body for burial,” Attorney-at-Law Ronald Daniels, who is representing the grieving family, told the media.
“As far as we are concerned, the State has no authority or law, or in convention to detain the body of Mr Williams, and the body of Mr Williams should be handed over to his family.”

One of the key points of contention raised by the family is the suspicious condition of the body of the now-dead death-row inmate.
The escapee’s father related “On Wednesday I went to visit Royden and there were a lot of bullet holes and a lot of his tattoos coming off of his skin… we bury our dead, that’s how I know it from growing up in my family…Royden is dead already, you don’t have any right to hold the body.”
In fact, the family was hoping to stop the funeral from happening but soon after the press briefing, the Home Affairs Ministry in a press statement related that the sister of the now-dead high-profile prisoner had met with the prison authorities and agreed for the State to take control of the funeral.
“Shortly after his death, Williams’ sister engaged the Prison Authorities who informed her that the State will not hand over the body to the family and will take care of the funeral arrangements. The reasons were provided to the sister. The Prison Authorities and the sister, on behalf of the family, discussed and consensually planned the funeral arrangements,” the release stated.

Further, the release added that “Out of those discussions, it was decided that the funeral will take place at Memorial Gardens, Le Repentir, with an agreed number of family members in attendance and that the family’s Pastor will do the final rites. As of 8:00 am this morning (June 9, 2023). the Director of Prisons and the sister of Williams confirmed these arrangements.”
Pointing to several convictions, the Minister reiterated that “Smallie” was charged, inter alia, with a total of 23 counts of murder including the Lusignan and Bartica massacres. He was found guilty of nine counts of murder inclusive of the murder of women, children, and the death of a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officer, and sentenced to death on each.
In 2017, Williams escaped from lawful custody and was recaptured months thereafter. On May 19, 2023, Williams again escaped from lawful custody. On this occasion, from the high-security block of the Mazaruni Prison.
On this note, the Home Affairs Ministry clarified that unless Williams’ convictions were overturned by a court, his body will remain in the custody of the prison authorities, in accordance with the law. “The pending appeals filed by the family do not alter this position,” the release pointed out.
Smallie escaped from the Mazaruni Prison on May 19 with the aid of several accomplices who were armed with high-powered weapons. One day after his escape, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) offered a $10 million reward for any information that may have led to his arrest.
In a shocking twist to the escape, six persons, four of whom are Prison Officers, were remanded to prison after answering charges of aiding the escape “Smallie”.
The Prison Officers charged were Alexander Hopkinson, 58, of Bartica Housing Scheme, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); Oldfield Romulus, 50, of Victoria Street, Cumberland Village, East Canje, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); Conroy Hosannah, 35, of East Canje, Berbice; and Omar Witherspoon, 26, of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice.
They have been charged along with Rajmohan Autor, called “Chico”, a 48-year-old businessman of Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE); and Venezuelan national Frangeliz Jugandry Flores Perez, 28, of Kitty, Georgetown.
Then, almost 10 days after the brazen escape, one of Smallie’s accomplices, Neon Howard, called “Taxi”, of Friendship, East Coast Demerara, was shot dead during an exchange of gunfire with members of the Joint Services at St Mary’s logging area in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
This prompted the Joint Services to intensify their search around that area since they believed that “Smallie” might have been close. Less than a week after the death of Howard, the wanted fugitive and another accomplice, Odel Roberts, also called “Gully Side” were shot dead during a confrontation with the Joint Services at 33 Miles, Potaro Road, Bartica.
After the deadly encounter, an M70 rifle, along with 79 rounds of live ammunition were recovered at the scene along with a red shirt, a pair of black trousers, a grey T-shirt, a yellow overshirt, a yellow long-sleeved jersey, a black T-shirt, a black belt, a silver-blade knife, three Amoxicillin tablets, three small batteries, one toothbrush, three clothes pins, and one condom.
Police have reported that Joint Services ranks set up a dragnet within the 33 Miles, Potaro Road, Bartica area while they remained in pursuit of the wanted man and during the operation, Williams and his accomplice, Roberts, were confronted by a Joint Services team. Both men were killed during the operation.