Teen to face judge and jury for deadly Mahdia dorm fire which left 20 dead

A teen girl charged with 20 counts of murder in connection with the deadly Mahdia dormitory fire in 2023 has been committed to stand trial at the Suddie High Court in Essequibo, after a prima facie case was made out against her at the Mahdia Magistrate’s Court.
Special prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat made this disclosure to reporters on Wednesday following the decision made by Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Mahdia Magistrate’s Court on February 14.
The teenager, who was 15 at the time of the fire, was represented by Attorney-at-Law Dexter Todd.
The devastating fire, which erupted on May 21, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 18 female students aged 12 to 17, along with a five-year-old boy, the son of one of the dorm parents. Two additional students succumbed to their injuries while receiving medical treatment, bringing the death toll to 20.
The charges allege that on the night of May 21, 2023, at the Mahdia Secondary School Female Dormitory in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), the accused deliberately set a fire that led to the deaths of multiple students, including Nicholeen Robinson, Martha D’Andrade, Shorline Bellarmine, Eulanda Carter, Adonijah Jerome, Subrina John, Cleoma Simon, Tracil Thomas, Andrea Roberts, Lisa Roberts, Rita Jeffery, Loreen Evans, Delicia Edwards, Belnisa Evans, Lorita Williams, Mary D’Andrade, Omefa Edwin, Natalie Bellarmine, Arianna Edwards and Sherona Daniels.
During the committal proceedings, the defence made a no-case submission, arguing that there was insufficient evidence linking the teen to the fire. According to court documents, the prosecution argued that the accused became enraged after a teacher confiscated her phone. Survivors testified that they saw her with a yellow cigarette lighter and a bottle of perfume before the fire. Three students stated that the accused explicitly mentioned her intent to burn down the dormitory.
One of the witnesses recalled the accused saying, “If me nah get to burn the place now, it will be for tomorrow night, midnight time when everybody sleeping.” Another survivor quoted her as saying, “Is problem you all want? You all gon get problem for the phone.”
The prosecution emphasized that these statements, coupled with physical evidence and survivor testimonies, form a strong case that the fire was an act of arson.
In its response to the no-case submission, the prosecution described the evidence as “very strong circumstantial evidence that [the accused] maliciously set the fire at the dorms, which caused the building to burn down, resulting in the deaths of 20 children and injuries to several others.”
After reviewing the evidence, Magistrate Scarce ruled in favour of the prosecution and committed the teenager to stand trial in the High Court.
The scale of the tragedy required extensive forensic investigation, as several of the victims were burned beyond recognition. DNA testing had to be conducted to confirm their identities, with experts brought in to assist grieving families to identify their loved ones.
The Mahdia fire had sent shockwaves across Guyana and attracted international attention. The dormitory, a concrete structure, housed approximately 59 students from remote villages such as Karisparu, El Paso, Micobie, and Chenapau in Region Eight.
At the time of the fire, 56 students were inside the building, while three had gone home for the weekend.
The fire broke out in the bathroom area and spread rapidly. It took firefighters nearly three and a half hours to fully extinguish the flames.
Reports indicate that six individuals had initially been hospitalized, two in critical condition and four with severe injuries. They were later transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) for further treatment.
Firefighters managed to rescue 20 students by breaking through the dormitory’s northeastern wall. However, others were unable to escape as flames quickly consumed the building. A survivor recounted waking up to screams and seeing fire erupting from the bathroom area before spreading throughout the dormitory.
Deputy Fire Chief Dwayne Scotland confirmed that the fire was classified as arson, with investigators pinpointing the southwestern end of the building as the point of origin.
Following the fire, a Commission of Inquiry was conducted and several recommendations were made to Government.