THE Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder of Puranand Andrew Baljit, who was stabbed to death in his Timehri, East Bank Demerara home last month, commenced with the testimony of Baljit’s father on Tuesday.

Rayon Jones of Fourth Avenue, Bartica is on trial for murdering the young mechanic during the course of a burglary on June 9, at Madewini, East Bank Demerara.

The PI is being conducted before City Magistrate Leron Daily, while the matter is being prosecuted by Inspector Kevin London.

The matter was adjourned until July 28, after the prosecutor requested a date for statements to be filed, since Jones’ attorney, Latchmie Rahmant, requested that the inquiry be done by paper committal in order to save the court’s time.

During his teenage years, Jones was arrested several times and appeared at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on break and enter and burglary charges.

Jones was arrested on June 11 at the Georgetown seawall by police after being lured there by his reputed wife. Baljit, 23, called ‘Andrew’, was found with several stab wounds about his body, mainly to the chest and shoulder.

Following Jones’ arrest, he allegedly admitted to investigators that he had entered Baljit’s bedroom earlier that night and had secreted himself until the victim was asleep. He said that Baljit woke up suddenly and they had a fierce scuffle.

Baljit’s father had told investigators that he heard screams emerging from his son’s room that evening. He revealed that he immediately rushed to the boy’s bedroom door but it was locked. He then decided to climb through his son’s bedroom window and discovered the young man lying in a pool of blood.

He said his son was then taken by his stepmother to the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.