By Michel Outridge

AT yesterday’s commencement of the murder trial of Patrick Anthony Balgobin before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and a 12-member jury, the charge re-read to the accused stated that between June 7, 2010 and June 10, 2010, he allegedly murdered Rudolph Moonsammy, called Roy Moonsammy and ‘Roy”. This amendment was requested and authorised because the exact date of Moonsammy’s death is unknown.

Represented by Attorney-at-law Maxwell McKay, Balgobin has pleaded not guilty to the charge. The state is being represented by Diana Kaulesar and Tuanna Hardy.

In her opening address, Tuanna Hardy told the court that the accused allegedly murdered his employer during a quarrel. They had lived in the same yard, and he had followed Moonsammy to a dam, where he had dealt Moonsammy several blows to the body with a piece of wood; and after the wood broke, he had chopped Moonsammy with a cutlass.

Although mortally wounded, Moonsammy had managed to crawl into his house, where his body had been discovered by a neighbour. Moonsammy allegedly died three days later from the wounds he had reportedly received.

Hardy reminded the jury that the incident had occurred five years ago, and that fact must be considered. She advised the 12-member jury to listen carefully to the evidence presented in court, since they are under oath, and she asked that the case be tried fairly and without fear or favour.

The first police witness to testify was Detective Corporal Norris Harry, who at that time was attached to the Parika Police Station Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He told the court that, on June 8, 2010, he recalled going to a crime scene in company of Constable Williams, along with the accused, Patrick Anthony Balgobin, at Lot 3 St. Lawrence, East Bank Essequibo. Harry said that upon his arrival at the location of a two-storey concrete dwelling house, which also had an outer kitchen, he examined the crime scene for anything of evidential value, and saw what appeared to be blood stains in the yard of Moonsammy’s house.

He said there was blood on the walls of the outer kitchen, on the doors, in the bedroom of the lower flat, and on the bed. He said that at that point he instructed Constable Williams to take photographs of the crime scene, which was done in his presence and that of the accused.

Following this testimony, a voir dire was held. The trial continues on Monday, November 30th, in Court 7.