Suspect charged with murdering Campbellville pandit and son

Ornaldo Douglas
Ornaldo Douglas

A suspect was yesterday charged with the murders of Pandit Deonarine Liliah and his son, Omkar Liliah, whose partially-decomposed bodies were found in their Campbellville home last Tuesday with multiple stab wounds.

Orlando Douglas, 30, was taken before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who read him the two charges in Georgetown.

The first charge alleged that Douglas, between July 7th and July 10th, at Craig Street, Campbellville, murdered Deonarine Liliah.

Deonarine and Omkar Liliah

It was further alleged that Douglas, between the same dates, murdered Omkar Liliah.

He was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charges.

Attorney Melvin Duke, who represented Douglas, told the court that his client was detained for over 72-hours after being picked out of a crowd that had gathered to see the removal of the bodies of the deceased.

According to the attorney, the police saw him in a crowd and pointed him out and said, “You look like a suspect, come with us.”

Duke also claimed that his client was enticed to give certain remarks to the police.

Police prosecutor Gordon Mansfield, however, told the court that a cellphone belonging to one of the deceased was traced directly to the defendant. The prosecutor further noted that the accused was positively identified during an identification parade.

The decomposing bodies of the Liliahs, bearing multiple stab wounds, were discovered last Tuesday in their 25 Craig and Delph streets, Campbellville home.

The discovery was made after their tenant, Leewattie Ganpat, 40, a home aid worker, reported that a strong stench was emanating from the upper flat of the house.

Police later went to the home of the deceased and found the father and son lying in pools of blood.

Deonarine and Gopaul were last seen alive around 6 am on Saturday July 7th by Ganpat, when they had a conversation in the yard. The woman told police that later that night she heard footsteps in the upper flat of the house. At the same time, she said that she was using the internet when it was abruptly disconnected.

Autopsies have revealed that both men died as a result of multiple stab wounds.