‘Picture Boy’ murder trial ends in deadlock
JUSTICE Winston Patterson yesterday concluded the trial in which Cyon Collier, called ‘Picture Boy’, stood accused of murdering Chandrapaul Persaud, called ‘Kero Man’, with a mammoth summing-up that lasted 8 hours and resulted in disagreement.

Following their verdict of disagreement, Justice Patterson discharged the jury and directed that the accused Collier, called Picture Boy, be made to face a retrial at another criminal session.

Last week, Justice Patterson overruled a defence no-case submission in the Non Pariel robbery/murder trial at the Demerara Assizes, and called on the accused for a defence. The accused began that defence by making an unsworn statement from the dock, which read:
“Your Honour, I am innocent of this charge.  I never robbed anybody at Non Pariel. I was not there, as I told the police. I was in Linden on the 30th September, 2006.
“I only came to the house at Bachelor’s Adventure on the night before the police arrested me.  I did not know of any gun at this house, and that is why I opened the door for the police.
“I was immediately restrained with handcuffs behind my back, then placed on the ground face-down. I never led ASP Kingston or any other rank to the bedroom. While on the ground, I heard, supposedly by the police, banging on the door in the house. I was placed on an I.D. parade with persons from the Brickdam lock-up.   I was never picked out at that I.D. parade by anyone.   Thank you.  That is all.”
The case for the prosecution, conducted by Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin in association with Mrs. Teshana James-Lake, was that the accused was part of a gang that committed a robbery at Non Pariel on the night of September 30, 2006, which resulted in the death of Chandrapaul  Persaud, called ‘Kero Man’.

Witnesses disclosed that Persaud was shot by an AK-47 assault rifle which was among those stolen from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) some years ago; and this fact was substantiated by evidence to the effect that a bullet which was found in Persaud’s body during a post-mortem was analysed by the Police Firearms and Ammunition Expert Sgt. Eon Jackson. The bullet was found to be fired from an AK-47 rifle which was an exhibit of the court.

However, defence counsel Lyndon Amsterdam called in Collier’s defence witness Dr Dalgeish Joseph, deemed an expert in surgical injuries inflicted by knives and guns, who categorically stated  that he did not think that the bullet found in Persaud’s body could have been found in his tissues or muscles, because it would have penetrated the arm.