In Berbice…

AFTER deliberating for just over two hours, the mixed jury in the ‘father killer’ murder trial returned a unanimous verdict of guilty to the capital offence.
Consequently, Justice Dawn Gregory Barnes passed the death sentence over twenty-five-year-old  Gowkarran Ramdayal known as  ‘Silence’, who  was found  guilty of killing his father Bhowan Ramdayal.
On October 10, 2007, the now deceased was beaten with an iron bar about his body at their  Queenstown, Corriverton home, following a  misunderstanding between the duo over money.
The injured man was taken to Skeldon  and  New Amsterdam hospitals,  before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
On being discharged from the health institution, he stayed at a relative’s home  at  No 65. Village, Corentyne , before being re-admitted a month later at Skeldon Hospital where he died on January 16, 2008.
A post mortem report prepared by Government pathologist Dr Vivikanand Brijmohan recorded that the death was due to ‘septicemia’ and ‘fractures of the skull’.
Questioned by Justice Barnes  as to what he had to say before the death sentence was imposed, the convict remained silent.
Following his unresponsiveness, the Court Marshall told those in the Criminal Assizes to stand in silence as the death sentence was read to the prisoner.
In imposing the death penalty, Justice Barnes said: “The sentence of the Court upon you is that you be taken from this place to a lawful prison and thence to a place of execution and that you suffer death by hanging, and that your body be afterwards buried in the precincts of the prison in which you shall have been confined before your execution. And may the Lord have mercy on your soul.”
State Prosecutor Ms Dionne Mc Cammon had presented five witnesses for the prosecution, including the prisoner’s mother Durpattie Deodat, and his younger sibling  Hemant Ramdayal, who testified of being witnesses of the fatal assault.
Defence Counsel was Charrandas Persaud.