Trinidad: Two men charged with suffocating granny

Charged: Kent Coutou (left), Leon Logan (right)
Charged: Kent Coutou (left), Leon Logan (right)

(Trinidad Express) A 21-year-old Arima man is the second person to be charged with murdering 62-year-old Monica Ruiz.

Kent Coutou is due to appear before the Arima Magistrates’ Court today.

Coutou, aka ‘Mark Thomas’, was charged with murder, following advice received from Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, SC.

Ruiz, of Sherwood Park, Arima, was last seen at her home around 5p.m. on August 3, 2018. Her body, was later discovered by relatives, bound and gagged.

Several items, including a refrigerator and washing machine, were missing from the victim’s home. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be suffocation.

Investigations were supervised by ASP (Ag.) Sean Dhilpaul, Insp. Andrew Lawrence and Sgt. Mitra Ramsumair, while charges were laid by PC Andre Lewis, all of HBI Region 2.

Leon Logan 30, a labourer of Five Rivers, Arouca, was previously charged with Ruiz’s murder .