-suspect allegedly confesses

By Nafeeza Yahya

FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD Akeem Grimmond of Lot 53B Section ‘A’, Number 60 Village Corentyne was found dead in a burial ground after being missing for two days.

Discovered under a tamarind tree in the Number 60-61 burial ground at about 14:30 hrs on Monday, the teen’s body was lying face down in a shallow drain covered in blood with several chops and stab wounds in evidence.

The prime suspect in the murder — Terani Goolcharan of Number 60 Village, Corentyne -– reportedly confessed on Monday night to killing the teenager, according to police sources. The man reportedly confided in his wife that he had stabbed and chopped the teenager before dumping his body at the burial ground. It is unclear why Goolcharan had killed Grimmond.

Grimmond’s mother, Parbattie Thakordyal, called “Girly”, said her son had left on Saturday afternoon to pen the cows in a field situated some 300 metres from his home, but did not return. Nine months pregnant, the distraught woman said: “I can’t believe this! My son! I can’t deal with this! Why?” as she wept for her son.

Babita Liladar, a neighbour, said she had seen Grimmond at about 17:00hrs on Saturday, when he passed by her house and called out to her, saying he was going to pen the cows. She said that at about 21:00h, Grimmond’s mother told her that he had not returned home. Grimmond’s mother and her husband had then launched a search for him, but were unsuccessful in finding his body on Saturday night.

Liladar said she had reached out to neighbours on the following day, and another search ensued for the teenager. All of Sunday, searches were conducted in the Number 60 Village area, including the area at which Grimmond had gone to pen his cows, but there was no sign of the lad. Fearing the worse, the search party continued its search on Monday, but this time with the assistance of the Number 59 Community Policing Group (CPG). On Monday afternoon the boy’s body was discovered in the Number 60-61 Village cemetery.

Ryan Persaud, Grimmond’s step-father, said Goolcharan was initially detained and questioned by police on Saturday morning, but was subsequently released. “He is a psychopath and shouldn’t be on the streets. I want justice for my son, and I want the police to make sure they question him thoroughly,” Persaud told Guyana Chronicle.