Teacher remanded for grandmother’s murder

More than two months after she allegedly killed her 75-year-old grandmother, Stephanie Gamell was remanded to prison on a murder charge on Friday.
Stephanie, a 22-year-old teacher and mother of one, of Richmond Village, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), was not required to plead to the indictable charge when she appeared at the Charity Magistrate’s Court.
The woman, who had been undergoing psychiatric care pending charges, was remanded until February 27, by Magistrate Esther Sam.
According to reports, the elderly Agatha Gamell lived alone in a flat concrete house at Charity, Essequibo Coast, and would be visited occasionally by her granddaughter.
On the night of Saturday, November 26, 2022, Stephanie went to her grandmother’s home with her one-month-old daughter to spend the night.
However, around 04:00h on Sunday, November 27, 2022, one of the pensioner’s neighbours told investigators that she heard screams, tramping, and the crying of a baby coming from the elderly woman’s house. These sounds lasted for about 15 minutes.
Shortly after, the young woman went to the neighbour’s house and knocked on the door.
According to the neighbour, when the door was opened, she saw the 22-year-old woman with her naked baby in her hands. The neighbour said that Stephanie told her that the baby had just died and attempted to hand the baby over to her. The neighbour refused to take the child, and Stephanie walked out of the yard and onto the street with her baby.
The Police were called in and the house was visited by the Regional Police Commander, Superintendent Khemraj Shivbaran, along with other ranks.
Upon inspection of the house, the ranks discovered the elderly woman’s body clad in a white night dress with suspected blood stains and black tights, lying face up on a floormat in the kitchen. Her head was reportedly shaved, and salt was found around her body.
Shortly after, the teacher was taken into custody, and when questioned by the Police, she claimed that she did not know how her grandmother received the injuries.
Her baby was then taken from her and handed over to family members.
Stephanie’s family members had said that she had been battling post-partum depression, and had become frantic and slayed her grandmother.
Following the horrific killings of Gamell and another elderly woman in Georgetown, acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken had expressed concerns about murders committed by persons that were mentally challenged.
He had advised family members to look out for those who may be showing signs of depression and seek the necessary intervention to mitigate such crimes. (G1)