Joseph Thomas, 70 , of Lot 5 Liverpool Village, Corentyne, Berbice, has been charged with being an accessory after the fact in the murder of two men on March 3rd at the Arimu Backdam, Region Seven.
Thomas is the latest in a number of persons to be charged in the case where a large quantity of gold was stolen.
He appeared at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on May 3, 2024 before Magistrate Teriq Mohamed and was not required to plead to the charge. He was granted bail in the sum of $600,000.
This matter was adjourned to May 31st, 2024.
Two persons were on April 16th remanded to prison over the murder of Bartica businessman, Mohamed Zaheer Sheriff, at Arimu Backdam.
Teddy Thomas, a 44-year-old taxi driver of Itaballi Landing, and Paul James Derrick, a 20-year-old miner of Lot 20 Onderneeming Sandpit, Essequibo Coast, appeared at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Mohamed where the charges were read to them.
Thomas was charged with murder in the course of furthering a robbery, while Derrick was charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder.
Thomas and Derrick were not required to plead to the indictable charge and were remanded to prison. The matter was set to continue on May 15.
On April 13th, the police had issued wanted bulletins for two men namely, Romain Henry, 19, whose last known address was Best Road, West Coast Demerara, and is also being sought in connection with a third murder, and Kellon Fredericks, 21, whose last known addresses are Onderneeming Sand Pit, Essequibo Coast and Tuschen, East Bank Esse-quibo. The two are being sought over the murders of Sheriff, and Donovan Washington.
Following the murders, Travis Fredericks, a 32-year-old miner and Fernando Fredericks a 28-year-old miner both of 287 Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, were charged separately at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Mohamed on April 12 with being accessories after the fact of murder. They were not required to plead and were remanded to prison.
On March 03, Sheriff, a 50-year-old gold miner from Byderabo Road, Bar-tica, and Washington, a 26-year-old porter of Lot 11 Seventh Avenue, Bartica, were shot dead at Arimu Backdam, Cuyuni River.
According to the police, two masked men on a red all-terrain vehicle (ATV), carted off 102 ounces of raw gold valued at $37 million along with two licensed firearms (a .32 pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun) belonging to Sheriff.
Sheriff’s body had circular wounds to the right side of his upper chest, upper right thigh, upper right arm and left upper back, while Washi-ngton had circular wounds to his lower abdomen, left chest, left shoulder, left hand, left elbow, four to the right thigh, two to the left thigh and one in his back.
The scene was pro-cessed and one .32 magazine with eight live matching rounds, seven 9mm spent shells and three .32 spent shells were found.
