Neesa Gopaul murder trial starts today

More than four years after 16-year-old Neesa Gopaul was gruesomely killed, testimony in the highly-anticipated trial is set to commence today, following the empanelment of the case’s jury yesterday.

Bibi Sharima-Gopaul, Neesa’s mother, and Jarvis Small, the mother’s partner, are jointly charged with the young girl’s murder and will appear before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury.

Before the empanelment commenced, Justice Singh indicated that there are about two dozen witnesses set to testify in the matter. Further, Justice Singh revealed that Small, the number one accused in the murder, will be represented by a team of four lawyers; Glen Hanoman, Bernard De Santos, Lyndon Amsterdam and Zanna Frank. Sharima-Gopaul will be represented by attorney George Thomas.

Neesa Gopaul
Neesa Gopaul
Jarvis Small
Jarvis Small
Bibi Sharima-Gopaul
Bibi Sharima-Gopaul

On the state’s side are Diane Kowlessar and Judith Gildharie-Mursalin.

The charge against the two is that between September 24 and October 2 at Madewini, Linden-Soesdyke Highway, they murdered Neesa, then a Queen’s College student.

The teenager’s body had been stuffed into a suitcase, which was discovered by a group of picnickers on October 2, 2010. The suitcase had been anchored in the creek at the Emerald Tower Resort with several dumbbells. Her head was bashed in so that her remains appeared headless.

A woman who made the discovery said that a large piece of metal was removed from the creek by the police the following day.

The case provoked widespread public outrage and condemnation of those who failed to assist the teenager during a difficult period of abuse in varying forms prior to her death.