The preliminary inquiry into the 2007 Lusignan Massacre is still ongoing and according to one senior police official, there is still a long way to go.
During last year James Anthony Hyles, called ‘Sally’, 19, of 70 Friendship, East Coast Demerara; 21-one year-old Mark Royden Williams, called Royden Durant or ‘Smallie’ of Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara and a 14-year-old boy of Strathspey Squatting Area, East Coast Demerara (ECD) were charged with the eleven murders.
The trio is accused of killing 48-year-old Clarence Thomas, his 12-year-old daughter Vanessa Thomas and his son Ron Thomas; 32-year-old Mohandai Gourdat and her two sons: four-year-old Seegobind Harrilall and ten-year-old Seegopaul Harrilall; 22-year-old Shazam Mohamed; 55-year-old Shaleem Baksh; Seecharran Rooplall, 56, his wife Dhanrajie Ramsingh, 52, and their 11-year-old daughter Raywattie Ramsingh on January 26, 2008.
Hyles was the first to be charged. His appearance at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on February 21 last was marred with chaos sparked by his relatives who had come to support him.
Then on June 21, Williams and the teenager appeared. Williams who was captured at his cousin’s house in Sophia after a long period of being wanted, was also charged with the murder of Kumar ‘Mango man’ Singh, which occurred on August 30, 2007 and the murder of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lance Corporal Ivor Williams.
The 14-year-old was held during a Joint Services operation in the Upper Berbice.
The matters were transferred to the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court and the preliminary inquiry subsequently commenced before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus. One of the survivors had told Stabroek News that he had given evidence on two occasions the last being early January.
Stabroek News was told by a police officer, that the case is progressing but there are quite a few witnesses left to take the stand. The matter is scheduled to continue on March 26.
Though two years have passed, the police remain adamant that the investigation is still open. Crime Chief Seelall Persaud had said last year that three suspects have been charged, five have been killed and one is still being sought.
During the wee hours a large group of gunmen dressed in dark coloured clothing descended on Tract `A’ Lusignan and launched a 20 minutes blitz on five houses killing 11 women, men and children during their bloody rampage. The thick grass lands were their entry and exit points.
The killings at Lusignan had come mere hours after gunmen in a car launched an astonishingly brazen attack on Police Headquarters, Eve Leary. Observers had expressed belief that that assault was a diversionary ploy to focus the security forces’ attention in the city while the criminals created terror on the East Coast.
