AFTER weeks of reports, the file containing information on the execution of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing, was incomplete and required another report date by City Magistrate Ann McLennan, while the alleged “hitman” Regan Rodrigues made his third court appearance.

Prosecutor Sergeant Neville Jeffers will have to address the court later this week about the status of the file containing information on the execution of Crum-Ewing.
Rodrigues, 37, of Riverview, Ruimveldt on August 7 appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore for the murder of Courtney Crum-Ewing, after being charged for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and for escaping from lawful custody.
The .32 pistol which was found in Rodrigues’s possession was sent for ballistics testing while he was on remand, and the test proved that the same gun had been used to execute former soldier, Crum-Ewing.
Rodrigues was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which alleges that on May 10, 2015, at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, he murdered Crum-Ewing.
At his first court appearance, the unrepresented ‘Grey Boy’ explained that he was being victimised by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) because everybody was labelling him a murderer and a cold-blooded killer, and wanted to execute an innocent man. The magistrate had to remind Rodrigues of his right to remain silent, although he told her that he would like to “reason with the court.”
In his “reasoning,” he implicated Rajput Narine, a former bodyguard of former Attorney General and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) executive member Anil Nandlall, and a highly ranked police officer whom he named as ‘Creaser.’
Narine and ‘Creaser’, Rodrigues noted, were the ones who had offered him money to execute Crum-Ewing, but he said he had refused the offer because he was a supporter of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
He said he had gone to the police, who instead held him for the crime, because “once money pass, nobody cares.”
Political activist Crum-Ewing was gunned down on March 10, 2015 while encouraging residents of Diamond New Housing Scheme to cast their votes in the May 11 General and Regional Elections against the PPP. The former soldier had come to the public’s attention after he had held a one-man demonstration for 80 days in front of the office of the then Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General Anil Nandlall, following scandalous revelations of a taped conversation between that official and a senior reporter of the Kaieteur News.
Crum-Ewing was shot five times, thrice to the head, once to the back of the neck, and once under one of his arms. All the bullets were fired from behind his person and at close range, except the one that hit him under his arm and exited through his shoulder.
Rodrigues was charged a few weeks ago for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and for escaping from lawful custody. The charges against the suspect were read on Wednesday last at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
It is alleged that on July 13, at Riverview, Ruimveldt, while in the custody of Constable 2041 Thomas, pending criminal charges for unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition, Rodrigues escaped from lawful custody.
It is also alleged that on the same date, he had in his possession one Taurus pistol and 14 live rounds of ammunition, without being a licensed firearm holder.