The murder trial of Sherwin Barnwell began with a voir dire (trial within a trial) before Justice Franklyn Holder, at the High Court yesterday.
Barnwell is being tried for the murder of Nohar Bahadur, who he is accused of killing on December 24, 2006, at Friendship, East Bank Demerara.
The voir dire, which is to determine the admissibility of Barnwell’s caution statement, saw the prosecution presenting two police witnesses. Policeman Morgan Chalmers took to the witness box first and gave his evidence, followed by the other police witness, Hamlet Da Silva.
Bahadur had reportedly left his Friendship, East Bank Demerara home for a barbeque, where he had an argument with a man. Later, while heading home he was confronted by two men on a bicycle. It is alleged that just after 10pm, the men robbed Bahadur and then beat him to death. His body was discovered next to his home with marks of violence and his face damaged beyond recognition.
Meanwhile, in Justice Roxanne George’s court, the jury which was empanelled for the trial of Eon Williams, who is accused of an April, 2007 fatal stabbing in Kitty, was dissolved because one of the jurors knew a relative of the deceased Kwesi Wilson. The empanelling of a new jury will commence on Monday after which the trial will began.
Wilson was allegedly stabbed to death by Williams, said to be a good friend, after an argument at the Kitty, Railway Embankment resulted in a fight.
