THE mixed jury in the Linden murder trial heard from a caution statement that the accused Lakeraj Fredericks had said that following a row over marijuana, Clifton Bonus, called ‘Mutts,’ 21, was shot to death and later buried in a shallow grave.A voir dire held by the judge to determine admissibility disclosed that the accused in a caution statement admitted shooting ‘Mutts’ in the head, but declared , “he din dead.”
Lakeraj in his statement added, “I gave back the gun to Ronaldo and Ronaldo shot him dead.
The caution statement by the accused went on to say how he pleaded with others for help to bury ‘Mutts.’
The jury heard that in the caution statement to Policeman Yorrick the accused had said: “Me and Blamie fetch ‘Mutts’ body and Boy fetch the shovel and we dig a hole and bury ‘Mutts’ by a hill foot behind the same old airstrip at Linden.
“ On the same day me and Blamie went to Blamie’s family house at Garden of Eden.
“ I want to say that I cut and gave ‘Mutts’ a farm to plant marijuana, because he is my brother-in-law and he had his own seed.
I never trouble his seed. He took my seed and my weed and when I told him about it he stopped talking to me.”
When the hearing continued at the Demerara Assizes yesterday before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and a mixed jury, retired Detective Sgt.Trotman, who had witnessed the statement, testified.
Trotman supported the story as told by Yorrick.
State counsel Miss Shonette Austin and Siand Dhurjon are prosecuting.
Attorneys-at-law Lawrence Harris and Hewley Griffith are defending.
The Prosecution is hoping to close its case early next week.

The accused is facing trial for the murder of ‘Mutts,’ whose partly decomposed body was found with gunshot injuries to the head in June, 2011
Fredericks, 36, has pleaded not guilty
The defence lawyers challenged the caution statement which resulted in the judge holding a voir dire ( a trial within a trial ) to determine whether the statement was admissible.
The matter, which was determined by the judge in the absence of the jury,
concluded at the smaller trial where the judge announced her findings, which disclosed that the caution statement given to two police officers was admissible in evidence.
The statement was read to the jury by former Police Officer Troy Yorrick, who was attached to the Mackenzie Police Station in 2011.