Ron Taylor, called `Layro’, age 31, of Lot 83 Adelaide Street, Charlestown, Georgetown appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday before Chief Magistrate (ag) Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus to answer to the charge of the murder of Government Technical Institute (GTI) student Samuel Grannum.
It is alleged that between the 30th September and 3rd October 2022, at Croal Street, Stabroek, George-town the defendant murdered nineteen-year-old Grannum of Lot 19 Samaroo Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara.
He was not required to enter a plea.
yesterday
The court heard that Taylor and two others: Deshawn Donnett and Ezekiel Williams attacked Grannum at Croal Street, Georgetown with pieces of wood due to an old grievance. It was stated that Grannum had assaulted the accused’s cousin and as a result the accused and the two other suspects confronted Grannum with a golf club, hockey sticks and pieces of wood.
Grannum sustained several lashes about his head and body which resulted in him being hospitalized. He died on the 3rd October 2022 at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The court also heard that there was a wanted bulletin for Taylor and he was recently captured by the Guyana Police Force.
He was remanded to prison until 3rd October for report and disclosure.
Reports had revealed that Grannum, 19, was attacked at about 15:00 hrs on September 30 while he was liming with a friend at the Route 45 bus park on Croal Street.
He succumbed to his injuries the following Monday at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
An autopsy revealed that Grannum died as a result of blunt trauma to the head and a fractured skull.
The dead teen’s aunt, Marcia Grannum had explained to this newspaper what she had learnt of the entire ordeal.
“…He was sitting with a friend. According to the friend, he heard something. I don’t know what he heard but he said to my nephew, ‘Grannum run’. So my nephew like he was shock. He didn’t know why he was running. So the friend ran and the guys, they caught up with both of them [Samuel and his friend]. He [the friend] got his [injuries] on his hand and my nephew [Samuel], they surrounded him,” she said.
Marcia had said that she believed that the attack occurred as a result of her nephew being mistaken for someone else.
After Grannum was picked up and initially transported to the George-town Public Hospital, the family said that he received no medical attention from staff there. They were told that eight other persons were in front of Grannum and that he had to wait. As a result, he was eventually taken to St Joseph Mercy Hospital, where he immediately received medical treatment.
“When we told the doctor of his injuries, we didn’t know but we told him of the blows he would have received and they start running emergency tests and so on,” Marcia said.
“Then is when we found out that his brain was damaged to some extent. He sustained a fractured skull. His skull was fractured in two places. His ribs I think was broken and his body was severely battered. You could see all the marks how they hit him and he’s very slim mind you….Very little for [a] 19-year-old,” she explained. (Aaliyah McFarlane)
