Mark Royden Williams called “Smallie” was this afternoon acquitted of the 2007 murders of Rajesh Singh and Fazil Hakim.
Following hours of deliberations, a jury returned unanimous verdicts, finding Williams not guilty of the offence which alleged that on the night of December 16th, 2007 he killed the men at Narendra Mukhram’s liquor bar at Mon Repos.
Following the announcement by the forewoman, Justice Sandil Kissoon who presided over the trial, informed Williams that he had been acquitted.
Williams, however, does not get to be released from prison as he had been sentenced to death after being convicted four years ago for his role in the 2008 Bartica massacre in which 12 men—including three police officers, were killed.
On February 2nd, Williams and other accomplices who were among the infamous gang led by Rondell “Fine Man” Rawlins, were convicted and sentenced to death.
Williams was sentenced to death for eight of the 12 murders. He was convicted of manslaughter for the other killings, as the evidence led during that trial was that Rawlins had himself killed five of the murdered 12.
The convict has appealed his conviction in those matters.
At the time of Singh’s and Hakim’s killings, they were patrons of Narendra Mukhram’s liquor bar located opposite the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Agriculture Road, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
The state’s case presented by Prosecutor Lisa Cave, had been that Williams and others carried out a robbery at the premises, during which the two men were shot and killed.
The defence had, however, contended that not only was Williams not involved in the killings, but that he was not at the scene on the night in question either.
Leading his defence in an unsworn statement at the close of the prosecution’s case, the former-accused had professed his innocence.
Defence attorney Nigel Hughes had called as a witness, former co-accused, Michael Caesar, who was previously jointly-charged with Williams for the murders and is currently serving time for the offences after pleading guilty to manslaughter charges.
Caesar testified that Williams was not involved in the crime.
Detectives had said that Williams had provided a caution statement, detailing his involvement in the crime as the “lookout.”
The defence had, however, denied that the accused ever gave police any statement.
Williams’ story is that he did sign the statement which he said had already been prepared by the police.
According to him, he only signed the document because he had been badly beaten by the lawmen and could not endure any more licks.
