Regan Rodrigues, who police have linked to the weapon that killed political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing, was charged yesterday with his murder.
Police laid the charge yesterday afternoon against Rodrigues, 37, called “Grey Boy,” although they have yet to receive legal advice sought on the case from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The unrepresented Rodrigues was not required to offer a plea to the charge, which stated that on March 10th, 2015, at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, he murdered Crum-Ewing.
“In this country, once money pass nobody don’t care nothing. I know they had the real man fuh this murder but they loose he,” Rodrigues nonetheless told Magistrate Fabayo Azore in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court 5.
“They did done pay me to kill Mark Benchop but I say I ain’t no killer. Right now, I don’t know what to say, my worship. I is not no killer…I is no murderer,” he added.
“I vex the police didn’t tek my report when I go and report this matter,” he further said.
Rodrigues also pointed to Crum-Ewing’s family members, who were present in the courtroom. “I ain’t want his man family fuh hold me out as he killer. I want they know I ain’t kill nobody. But I got a lot of things on this mind that I will keep and it will save me some good day when I talk it out,” he said.
No further details about the charge were given to the court and Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones said the case file is still incomplete as the police are awaiting advice from the DPP.
Rodrigues was remanded to prison until August 21st.
Crum-Ewing, 40, was shot dead as he was urging residents to vote against the incumbent PPP/C at the May 11th elections. He was shot five times, including three times to the head.
Police, who have been under pressure to produce results due to Crum-Ewing’s prominent activism against the former PPP/C administration, announced that investigators had made a breakthrough in the case just over three weeks ago. At that time, ballistic tests done on an illegal .32-calibre gun that was found at Rodrigues’ Riverview, Ruimveldt home linked it to the murder.
Rodrigues was charged with the possession of the weapon after surrendering to cops, whom he had managed to elude before his home was searched.
Rajput Narine, an ex-bodyguard of former Attorney-General Anil Nandlall, was subsequently taken into custody and questioned but was released without charge. His lawyer had said that although police told Narine he was being arrested in connection with the Crum-Ewing investigation, he was never questioned about it while in police custody. There was, however, a confrontation between Rodrigues and Narine.
Previously, at least eight persons had been arrested in connection with the murder probe but police were unable to find any concrete evidence against them. Surveillance footage had also produced naught.
For weeks prior to his death, Crum-Ewing had held one man protest outside the office of the then Attorney-General to press for his resignation over statements he made during a telephone conversation with a Kaieteur News reporter that was made public.
Following the murder, it had been alleged that Nandlall and another PPP member had threatened Crum-Ewing, which resulted in a report being lodged at the Brickdam Police Station.
This was denied by Nandlall, who has said he was never contacted by the police with regards to the reports and he was not aware of anyone from the party being questioned with respect to the investigation.
Nandlall has denied that he threatened Crum-Ewing or was involved in his murder and he has also distanced himself from the former bodyguard, whom he said he did not know prior to Crum-Ewing’s death. (Sharda Bacchus)
