Statement of one accused admitted in murder case
THE Berbice River murder case began before Justice James Bovell-Drakes last week, with the testimony of Detective Corporal Dharmendra Indrapaul, through whom the caution statement attributed to the number two accused, Dave Banwarie, was admitted in evidence. Banwarie is jointly indicted with Elmo Benedict for the unlawful killing of Rakesh Rajaram, between March 1 and 2, 2008, at Sand Hills, Berbice River.
In the attestation, Banwarie is recorded as saying that he lived with Rookmin as ‘man and wife’ and, during that  period, he became  aware of a friendship between her and the victim.
He is recorded as saying Rajaram had, repeatedly, threatened to shoot him but, although they did not agree, they would, nevertheless, talk and drink together.
The statement said, on March 1, 2008, having left home for work, earlier, he returned during the midday hours but did not find Rookmin, despite several checks within and outside their dwelling.
The testament said, four hours later, on receipt of information from his brother-in-law, the two of them, armed with cutlasses, went in search of the missing woman and, after searching for two hours, they  arrived at a camp surrounded by bushes.
The statement continued: “I ran to the left side and Elmo ran to the right side. Rakesh jumped out of a hammock and picked up something. Me rush in on Rakesh and started to chop him and  whilst doing so, Rakesh hold on to the cutlass. He loose the cutlass and fell. Rakesh bled from the injuries. I asked him for the gun  which he said he would use to shoot me. He told me it was in the bush. I broadsided him with the cutlass and Rookmin begged him to say where the gun was. She removed the gun from the camp’s roof. I asked for the bullets. I took a piece of wood and started to beat him, again. Whist doing so, Rookmin told me she got the ammunition in her underwear and I took my hands and retrieved it.”

BIG WOUND
According to the statement, Banwarie, observing that Rajaram was  bleeding from a big wound on his right leg and that he complained of his inability to walk, made an improvised stretcher  to carry him to a nearby landing in which vicinity he lived, before leaving the wounded man behind and fleeing in the bushes.
The statement said: “This morning, March 3, 2008, the Village Captain arrested me at Rookmin’s house and, on informing me of Rakesh’s death, took me to Central Police Station in New Amsterdam.”
The case for the prosecution, being presented by State Prosecutor Rhondel Weaver, is that on March 3, 2008, Benedict and Banwarie went to the camp of Rakesh Rajaram in search of Rookmin Benedict.
It is alleged that the accused persons rushed into the camp and, together, being armed with a cutlass and a hose, inflicted injuries on Rajaram, whom  they later placed on a stretcher and transported to the village landing.
Weaver told the mixed jury that, after the incident was  reported to  the Village Captain, Andre Lindie, he went to the home of Omwatie Benedict, where Rajaram was seen lying on the ground with wounds about the  body and, in what appeared to be blood.
The Captain took the injured Rajaram, by speedboat, to New Amsterdam Market Wharf, also in Berbice, from where the police escorted the wounded man to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
An autopsy report revealed that the cause of death was due  to shock and haemorrhage, as well as to multiple wounds.
At the continuing trial, the men in the dock are being represented by attorneys-at-law Mr. Raymond Ali and Mr. Rabrindranauth Singh.