A Demerara Assize jury late yesterday afternoon rejected the prosecution’s story that the trio accused in the murder of their stepfather, Motielall Singh, had received over US$7M from their overseas-based mother to hire a killer to murder their stepfather, who was on a visit to Guyana.

And their verdict, delivered to Justice Dawn Gregory, presiding over the trial, was that the accused Bibi Shamiza Khan, called ‘Sham’; Hoosman Khan, called ‘Strong Man’; and Bibi Farida Khan, called ‘Pum’, were all not guilty of the crime.

Represented by Senior Counsel, Mr. Bernard De Santos, the trio was discharged by the judge. While leaving the dock, the number two accused, Hoosman, resorted to tears; but his sisters, whom the prosecuting attorneys, Misses Natasha Backer and Mercedes Thompson, had accused of making confession statements to the police implicating themselves in the crime, hurried from the dock and began jubilating.

Earlier, the prosecution had asked the jury to return a verdict in accordance with the evidence led and the oath they had taken. On the other hand, Senior Counsel, Mr. Bernard De Santos had requested a not-guilty verdict on behalf of his clients. Mr. De Santos had also asked the jury to find that there was doubt in the prosecution’s case, and he had said that the accused should be given the benefit of that doubt.
He had exhorted the jury to disbelieve the prosecution’s case, which stated that the three accused had carried out a plot hatched by their mother in the USA, who had sent them more than US$7M to hire a killer to murder her husband Motilall Singh, who was on a visit to Guyana.

The prosecution was alleging that the plot had been carried out.

Senior Counsel had also asked the jury to believe the defendants when they said they had not made any confession statement, as alleged by the police, but that the police had taken advantage of their ill condition from diabetes and their inability to read or write when they were handed a paper to sign, which they did, not realising that they were signing to an alleged confession.

According to the prosecution, on the early morning of September 7, 2009, Motilall was attacked and murdered. The doctor who performed the post-mortem recorded finding 20 stab wounds on Motielall’s body. He concluded that death was caused by shock and haemorrhage due to multiple stab wounds.

Replying to the defence claim that the deceased was attacked by masked bandits, the prosecution said the nail to that lie was the fact that the gold rings still decorated the fingers of the murdered man; something robbers would not have left behind.

Prosecuting Ms. Thompson also told the jury that they had overwhelming evidence that they could use to come to a verdict of guilt. The prosecution expressed shock at the verdict, but some spectators welcomed it.

(By George Barclay)