NEESA Gopaul’s mother, Bibi Shareema Gopaul, and step-father, Jarvis “Barry’”Small, are on trial at the High Court in Georgetown for Neesa’s brutal murder, which allegedly took place sometime between September 24 and October 2, 2010.Jarvis “Barry” Small is being represented by attorneys-at-law Glen Hanoman, Bernard De Santos SC, Lyndon Amsterdam and Zanna Frank, while Bibi Gopaul is being represented by Attorney-at-Law, George Thomas.

The case is being presented by State Prosecutors Diana Kaulesar, Mercedes Thompson and Stacy Gooding.

The prosecution is presenting that on October 2, 2010, the headless remains of a female were discovered at a location along the Soesdkye-Linden Highway, tucked inside a suitcase that was partially submerged in a creek. A rope was wrapped around the suitcase and dumbbells were attached at one end, apparently in an effort to keep the body under water.

In addition to the body, a passport bearing the name Neesa Lalita Gopaul was also found. The teenager was reported missing just days before the discovery was made.
Subsequent to the discovery of the body, Bibi Gopaul and her ex-paramour, Small, were arrested and charged for the murder.

The State yesterday called another witness, Simone De Nobrega, also known as Simone King, before Justice Navindra Singh and a panel of mixed jurors. In her evidence, King told the Court that she knew Shareema Gopaul, whom she identified to the Court. She explained that she first got to know the accused in the East La Penitence lock-ups.
In her evidence, De Nobrega said she sat next to Shareema Gopaul and they talked. She said Gopaul at the time appeared to be sad, and they talked for about 15 minutes. She recalled that about an hour later, her mother brought her dinner and she asked Shareema Gopaul if she had eaten, and she responded in the negative. De Nobrega told the Court she offered to share her dinner with the accused, and after that, they just chatted about ordinary matters.
She further stated that after that day, they talked at length about personal matters, such as weight and health. Shareema Gopaul went Court and then to the Berbice lock-ups; three days later, she was taken back to East La Penitence, which was October 15, 2010. DeNobrega noted that other than that, she saw Shareema Gopaul as a pleasant person, and one who was easy to talk with.
She said on Gopaul ‘s return on October 15, 2010 to the prison, she kept a space for her. They continued talking, and Gopaul was telling her about her experience at the prison lock- ups, after which they continued to talk about girls’ stuff, had dinner, and then retired to bed.
She was lying right beside me, the witness said, when, about one hour later she looked as if she was having a bad dream and was heard saying, “No, Barry! Barry stop!” De Nobrega said she woke Shareema up, since she thought it was the logical thing to do.
She said Shareema Gopaul woke up and kept looking over her shoulders as if something was going to happen to her. The witness said Shareema Gopaul told her she had something she wanted to ask her; and in response, she promised Gopaul she wouldn’t say anything to anyone.
“She asked me,” De Nobrega began, “if someone had died a year ago of poisoning, and the authorities wanted to exhume the body and perform an autopsy, if they could find out that the person died of poisoning? And her response to Gopaul was that she had no idea. To which Gopaul replied that she did not want to find out either.
De Nobrega said Gopaul told her that she seemed to know a lot of people, and she wanted someone to go dig up the grave of her ex-husband, Javid Gopaul (Moonsammy Gopaul). She said she wanted it dug up as early as possible, and at any cost.
IT WASN’T ME

The witness said that noting her confusion, the accused Gopaul said to her: “After I tell you something, then you would understand.” With that, De Nobrega said, the accused Gopaul took her hand ever so softly and said, “It wasn’t me; Barry kill Neesa.” According to the witness, Shareema Gopaul told her that since her husband died, Neesa had gotten rude and very disrespectful to her. She was skipping school and showing up late, she said. She wasn’t listening to anything, and when she tried scolding her, she would become upset.
De Nobrega said the accused Gopaul went on to tell her that she first met Barry in March 2010. He was a gym instructor, she said, and she was overweight. She told him she wanted to lose about 20 pounds. The witness said Gopaul told her a relationship had begun with her and Barry; she was uncomfortable in her troubled marriage, and had moved out on her own for two weeks.
According to De Nobrega, Gopaul said she and Barry rented an apartment, and that she wanted to be with him because he made her happy. Shareema Gopaul, the witness said, later moved back home because of her two daughters, but her marriage did not get any better.
De Nobrega said accused Gopaul said that Barry told her the only way to make things better was if Javid (Moonsammy Gopaul) was out of the picture. She said Barry gave her some tablets and told her how to administer it to his food; that is, put small amounts in the food so he can die gradually and no one would suspect.
According to the witness, Gopaul told her that from time to time, Barry would call to check up on Javid’s condition, and that during some of those conversations, he would get upset and angry. He told her she was not giving her husband enough of the tablets; that it looked as if she did not want him to die.
The following day, Barry brought some poison that was in powder form, and told her to start administering it in Javid’s meals. Soon enough, Javid started complaining that the food had something in it.
The witness said that Shareema Gopaul told her that after Javid started to get worse, she took him to the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, where a doctor ran some tests which proved he was OK; except that his kidneys seemed to be failing. The doctor also advised that she take him home, since there was nothing more that the hospital could do for him.
Later, according to the witness, Javid called Neesa, her younger sister, Miriam, and Shareema in the presence of someone called ‘Brother Shahab’ (a friend of Moonsammy’s). Javid allegedly told this ‘Brother Shahab’ that he was dying; that he was not going to make it; and that he wanted him to marry Shareema after he died so as he could assist with raising the girls. After ‘Brother Shahab’ left, they all went to bed.
According to De Nobrega, Shareema said that she got up around 03:00hrs the following day and went to check up on Javid and found that he was not breathing and appeared to be dead. Immediately after, she contacted Barry, and he came over to ensure that Javid was indeed dead. After Barry left, the accused Gopaul said, she then raised an alarm and started to scream. Javid was buried on the same day he was discovered dead, and about two weeks later, she started to feel lonely and depressed.
AFTER JAVID’S DEATH

De Nobrega said after Javid’s death, Shareema said that Barry moved in, which caused her parents to be very upset. During that time, however, she and Barry got along very well, which seemed to upset Neesa, as she’d begun to act up again. Shortly after, however, Barry and Neesa started getting along very well, and at times when Bibi went into the room,she would see them conversing. In addition, in Neesa’s presence, Barry would be very mean to her; but whenever Neesa was not around, he was a total ‘sweetheart’.
She said a short while later, Barry told her that Neesa wants what she has; and that was him. After she told Barry that she was stressed out and depressed, he told her that he had some Dr. Chase’s Nerve Tablets for her to relax. He got this medication from a friend who owned a drugstore and told her to drink eight per day (four in the morning, and four in the afternoon).
According to the De Nobrega, Gopaul said Barry told her to lie on the bed and pretend to be asleep, and he would prove to her how much Neesa wanted what she has. She said she made Barry promise her that he would not touch Neesa, after which Neesa appeared as if she was dancing and taking off her clothes. She said he promised that he would not touch, so he did not.
Shortly after, Barry told her that Neesa had mentioned to him that she heard her mother having a conversation with someone on the phone about how she poisoned her father. As a result, Neesa went to the police station and reported what was happening to her. The police then sent Neesa back to get her mother, and then they both came back to the police station. Neesa then told the police that it was a lie. The accused Gopaul also said on one occasion that after scolding Neesa about something she had done, Neesa got angry and told her that she had poisoned her father. She said that subsequent to that, Barry told her that the situation with Neesa was getting out-of-hand, and that they should get rid of her because she would cause trouble for both of them.
According to the witness, Gopaul told her that Barry suggested that they should send her away to Venezuela, but that option was ruled out, because Neesa would probably come back when she was 18. She said that Barry also suggested that they should take Neesa along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway where they burn wood to make coal, and he suggested that they push her in. Gopaul said she didn’t like that idea,so that option was also ruled out.
COMPROMISING POSITION
De Nobrega said the accused told her that she was feeling drowsy one night, so she got up to drink some water and saw Barry and Neesa in a very compromising position and she said “What the f***!” She said she was so angry, she went to the kitchen, got a knife and confronted Barry. As Barry was trying to get the knife from her, he was cut on his index finger and thumb, after which Neesa intervened and got her hands cut too. Neesa immediately ran out of the house, and Barry got up and went to get needle and thread to stitch the wounds. Barry then told her (Gopaul) that he was going to look for Neesa. Barry then called Gopaul to inform her that he had found Neesa at his wife’s house, and that he’d collected his wife’s car and taken her to a hotel at Parika to ensure that she was safe for the night.
Around 10:00hrs the next day, Barry and Neesa arrived while Gopaul was in her room. Barry then entered, and they both (Barry and Gopaul) had an argument over a cell-phone. Barry grabbed the phone and hit her in the head and forehead.
The witness related that after Barry left, Neesa saw the wound and smiled and said she was happy that they (Barry and Gopaul) had broken up. Shortly after, Barry told Gopaul that Neesa was causing trouble.
De Nobrega continued that Gopaul told her that there was never any back-up plan for the outcome of what they were planning. However, a few days later, she (Gopaul) told her daughters that she would take them to buy chicken and that they would pick up Uncle Barry at the Vreed-en-Hoop junction. Neesa was sitting in the front passenger seat. She said that Mary, Neesa’s younger sister, and Uncle Barry were sitting in the back seat; Barry was sitting directly behind Neesa. They went to Royal Castle, and to the seawalls after. Gopaul asked Mary and Neesa if they wanted to go for a long drive, and they both said yes. When they were in the area of Splashmins Fun Park, the witness related while showing the action to the Court, Barry placed a rope around Neesa’s neck while she (Neesa) held on to the rope saying, “Mummy, mummy, don’t kill me.” She was fighting and kicking up the dashboard and steering wheel.
PANTING FOR BREATH
According to the witness, Gopaul wound up the windows and put on the air-conditioning while Mary was asleep. She continued that Gopaul turned through a trail to the Emerald Towers Resort, Neesa’s favourite place where they spent time together. They drove for approximately one mile, after which they stopped, and Barry got up and held onto Neesa by her neck as she was panting for breath. Barry came out of the back of the car and took Neesa out, while Gopaul turned up the music in the vehicle so as to not awake Mary. Barry took Neesa around the car and she fell to her knees and stretched out her hands on the ground saying, “Mary Mary, wake up” in a dull tone. Barry went around and took a piece of wood out of the car and started to hit Neesa at the back of her head; he continued to hit her as she laid there on the ground. The witness said that Gopaul told her that the last sound she heard from her daughter was a “moaning sound”, and when the sound finally stopped, Barry picked up Neesa’s lifeless body and placed it in the car.
After Bibi Gopaul reached home, the witness said, she (Gopaul) saw Barry’s wife, Marcy, at the gate. Marcy was upset and told Gopaul: “Yuh nah go leff meh husband alone? If yuh don’t leave my husband alone, I will take the tapes to the police.” Marcy told Gopaul that Barry had recorded the conversation they had before she (Gopaul) poisoned her husband.
The witness said that Gopaul went down on her knees and pleaded with Marcy not to cause a big commotion because the police would be sure to come. She told Marcy that she would stay away from Barry, so that she (Marcy) could leave. She then reversed her car and took Mary to bed. She retired to bed as well. Barry then called to ensure that she was okay, and told her (Gopaul) that while he had the rope around Neesa’s neck, Mary had opened her eyes, looked at him, and went back to sleep. Barry then told her that if Mary had gotten up, they would have had to get rid of her too.
REVISITING THE CRIME SCENE
The following morning, the witness said, Gopaul told her that she went to check on Neesa’s body. She said that Gopaul didn’t want to use her hands, so she used a piece of stick and poked the body to ensure that Neesa was really dead. She then took Mary to her grandparents, then went to the police station to report that Neesa was missing. She then spoke to Barry who told her to get a sheet and a suitcase along with Neesa’s passport and saver’s bank card. She said that Barry told her that they will use the dumbbells along with some ropes attached to the suitcase, and they will take it back to Emerald Towers, Neesa’s favourite place. She said Barry told her they will leave around night but will use separate cars. They went back to Emerald Towers, and Barry assisted in wrapping the body in the sheet and placing it in the suitcase along with the bankbook and passport. They then attached the rope and dumbbells to the suitcase which Barry told her will keep the body down. She said they dragged the body to the creek and he let down the suitcase along with some weeds.
De Nobrega related that the next day, Gopaul washed the trunk of the car thoroughly, then took the vehicle to a washbay to have it cleaned by someone. After this, Barry told her to buy two pounds of fresh meat and put the dogs in the trunk with the fresh meat for the entire day, so in case the police suspected anything, they would find evidence of dog meat in there. She said that Gopaul told her that during one of her (Gopaul’s) conversation with Barry, he told her that Neesa said that her father had left a large sum of money for herself and Mary, but she [Neesa] could only access it after she would have become 18. After Neesa said that, Gopaul and Barry then made arrangements to go see Attorney-at-Law Peter Hugh, but they had arrived late, so they had to return home. Barry then told Gopaul that he wanted her to sign a document to make him power-of-attorney.
GETAWAY PLAN
Afterwards, Barry told her (Gopaul) to pack a bag with clothing for both of them to travel to Suriname, so the police would not suspect anything.
Sometime after, Gopaul said she heard a knock on the gate and she went down to the person, who identified himself as a police officer. She said the officer told her that they believed that they had found her daughter’s body, and that he would like her to come and identify it. The officer saw the packed suitcase in her car and asked her if she was going somewhere, but she said no, that they always keep a packed bag since they were in the habit of going on trips. She said she asked the officer if she could go upstairs and change her clothes, and she called Barry’s home immediately. His wife answered, and Gopaul told her that the police were at her and they may have found Neesa’s body and the police needed her (Gopaul)to go and identify the body.
However, before Marcy handed the phone to Barry, she told Gopaul that she should wear something black as if she was mourning.
The prosecution questioned the witness as to how long it took Shareema Gopaul to tell her the story, and her reply was: “We spoke for five days.” They also asked her if she could recall the date Gopaul came from the New Amsterdam Prison, and she resplied, “October 15.” They also questioned why she decided to tell the court the story, and her response was: “Because I am a mother who loves my sons dearly; my job is to protect them. I couldn’t carry such a weight and live with myself… I felt that Neesa deserves to get justice. And no matter what, Neesa didn’t deserve to die by the hands of someone she trusted; by the hands of someone who is supposed to protect her.”

De Nobrega said she spoke to the police on October 20, 2010.
“At the time, I was charged with a number of false pretence charges,” De Nobrega told the Court, adding that she had been convicted and imprisoned for five years.
Replying to the prosecutor’s question as to why she was absent from Court, she responded:
“Because I feared for my life; I was threatened by persons who claimed to be associated with Neesa Gopaul. I feared for my life, and that of my two sons; that is why I didn’t return to court,” she said.
The prosecutor then questioned the witness about Bibi Gopaul’s demeanour when she told the story, and the witness related that Gopaul didn’t appear the least bit remorseful.
During his cross- examination, Attorney-at-Law George Thomas asked De Nobrega if she had anything to add to, or change what she told the court, to which she responded in the negative.