–at trial for murder of four-year-old stepson

FORMER postman, Rawle Samuels, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter for the February 6, 2013 murder of his stepson, four-year-old Jamal Nedd.

His plea was accepted by Justice Nareshwar Harnanan in the Georgetown High Court through his attorney, Maxwell McKay, after which the panel of jurors was discharged and expected to return on July 11, 2017.

Samuels, whose face was devoid of any expression throughout the proceedings, will return before the said judge for a probation report and sentencing on July 18, 2017 in Court 9.

According to state prosecutor, Siand Dhurjon, on the day in question the accused had a problem with his common-law wife, Neisha Naranjan, who is the mother of the deceased four-year-old.

Naranjan reportedly ended the relationship with Samuels over an argument involving her 17-year-old sister, who, at the urging of her nephew, managed to elude the accused who was chasing her.

At the time, the court heard, Samuels was chasing the teen, and upon hearing the four-year-old encouraging her to run as fast as she could, became so enraged that he turned the knife he was carrying on the child, stabbing him five times about his body.

The incident reportedly occurred at Buck Hill Foot, Wismar, which is just a few yards from the Wismar Police Station.

The murder weapon was eventually recovered from the child’s back, where it was stuck, during the post-mortem.

The court further heard that the argument had to do with the child returning home from school earlier than expected and finding Samuels and his aunt in a compromising position.

Samuels reportedly confessed to committing the crime by way of a caution statement, and the State is also in receipt of an eyewitness’s report.

The State is being represented by Prosecutors Siand Dhurjon, Shawnette Austin and Lisa Cave, and the defendant by Attorney at Law, Maxwell McKay.