Kumey Bourne, also known as Kwame Bourne, was on Tuesday indicted for allegedly murdering his elderly father, Rickford Bourne, in May 2016 at the man’s Turkeyen, Sophia, Greater Georgetown home.
Represented by Attorney Maxwell McKay, he entered a plea of not guilty before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court and a 12-member jury was sworn in to hear the matter.
Reports were that while being heavily intoxicated, Bourne allegedly beat his 70-year-old father with a metal pipe.
Dead: Rickford Bourne
The supposed murder weapon was tendered into evidence at the trial by Lance Corporal Jason Beresford. He told the jury that he found the item after a search of the home. The witness also said that he was the one who put the murder allegation to him on May 23, 2016.
Under cross-examination by Attorney McKay, Beresford noted that he could not recall if the pipe was checked for fingerprints. He further stated that there was not any blood on it. Beresford added that the defendant seemed normal to him at the time he had seen him.
Also testifying was Bourne’s sister, Aisha, who said that her half-brother was unemployed at the time her father was killed. She said that her father died four days after the beating. She also said that Kwame lived with her father, just one street away from her. She recounted hearing about the May 19, 2016 incident and told the jury that she ran into the home past her brother and went to the room where her father was and saw three wounds on him.
Aisha Bourne also said she got $1000 from a shop owner which she used to transport her father to the hospital where he remained until he died. Her mother, Cythia Ferguson, who was Bourne’s common-law wife, told the jury that she was on shift in Skeldon, Berbice, when she received the news. Her story was that she travelled down to the city the following day and obtained $30,000 from Rickford Bourne’s brother which was used for a brain scan. Her testimony was that her step-son seemed “stressed” when she saw him.
Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh is expected to testify this week. Attorneys Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohammed are prosecuting the case.
