Gladstone Williamson, the suspect in the murder of his former wife and the attempted murder of her daughter and niece appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court yesterday to face three charges of murder and attempted murder and was remanded to prison.
The 30-year-old of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam was not required to plead to the charges and was remanded to prison by Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Persid Edmond.
Williamson nevertheless expressed a willingness to enter a guilty plea. When the charges were read to him he questioned why he could not plead then and the magistrate informed him that he could only do so before a judge at the High Court.
He appeared shaken and was hesitant to tell the magistrate his age and occupation. After repeating her question for the third time he eventually told her he was a labourer and was 30-years-old. He stood in a slouched position with his head bent and the magistrate had to admonish him to “stand properly, you are in a court.”
Police Prosecutor Inspector Satrohan Dayaram objected to bail for the attempted murder charges and said that the victims were still hospitalized. He told the magistrate that after committing the offence Williamson went into hiding.
The matter has been transferred to the Blairmont court for June 2.
It is alleged that last Friday at Ithaca, West Berbice, he murdered Gertrude Edwards. It is also alleged that on the same day and place he attempted to murder Kerry Edwards and Samantha Charles.
Reports are that in the early hours of that day, he slit the throat of Edwards who was his reputed wife and allegedly attempted to murder her daughter, Kerry Edwards and a niece, Samantha Charles by slitting their throats, after Edwards ran over to a neighbour’s house to seek help. The woman had collapsed and died on the neighbour’s stairs while the police took the girls to the New Amsterdam Hospital where they were admitted patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
Following the incident, the man fled and was captured on Monday in a cane field at Lochaber, West Canje.
