Port Mourant man murdered, step-son held

After returning home from a wake, Deochand Singh was knifed to death at his home at Port Mourant, Berbice, on Wednesday night and police say his stepson is responsible.

The man, 20, is now in police custody along with Singh’s widow, while police are said to be looking for a third relative who is suspected of also participating in the fatal attack.

The attack on Singh, 48, called ‘Mike’, of Free Yard, Port Mourant, occurred between 8:30pm and 9pm, after he returned home from a wake house in the area.

Stabroek News was told that Singh was chopped and stabbed several times about his body. It was reported too that his assailants then threw him into a pond, called “Alligator Pond,” located a few feet from the man’s residence. The pond is said to be infested with alligators.

Neighbours, who heard Singh’s screams, raised an alarm.

Stabroek News was also told that the intervention by neighbours and the quick response of the police prevented an attempt to dispose of Singh’s body in the pond.

A neighbour, who asked not to be identified, said that she had returned from the wake house when she heard the screams. She said that she went out of her house to see what was happening and she observed three persons standing in the yard. However, it was dark and she could not identify the figures.

However, her husband alerted the police, who arrived within a few minutes.

Lawmen arrived and began investigations and they soon found Singh’s lifeless body lying partially in the pond. The man was clad only in short cargo pants.

His head and neck were bloody and he also had marks of violence that indicated that he was brutally beaten.

Investigators believe that Singh had more than one assailant due to his size. As a result, they did not believe the step-son in custody could have carried out the attack on his own and as a result they were searching for another stepson who is believed to have fled the scene immediately after the crime.

Although, the motive for the murder was not immediately clear, investigators were exploring the suspicion that the attack on Singh could have stemmed from old grievances between him and his step children.