TWENTY-ONE-year-old Rayon Jones of Fourth Avenue, Bartica, was committed to stand trial in the High Court by Magistrate Leron Daly for the murder of Puranand Andrew Baljit, who was stabbed to death in his Timehri, East Bank Demerara home.It was alleged that on June 9, 2016 at Madewini, East Bank Demerara, he murdered the young mechanic during the course of a burglary. In his initial appearance, his lawyer, Latchmie Rahamat, requested that the preliminary inquiry be done by paper committal in order to save the court’s time.

The magistrate made the ruling based on the facts presented by the prosecutor; she stated that sufficient evidence was led by the prosecution to have the defendant stand before the High Court at the next sitting of the Demerara Assizes.
During his teenage years, Jones was arrested several times and appeared at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on break and enter and burglary charges.
Jones was arrested on the Georgetown seawall by police after being lured there by his reputed wife. Baljit, 23, called ‘Andrew’ was found with several stab wounds about his body, mainly to the chest and shoulder.
Following Jones’ arrest, he allegedly admitted to investigators that he had entered Baljit’s bedroom earlier that night and had secreted himself until the victim was asleep. He said that Baljit woke up suddenly and they had a fierce scuffle.