Daughter testifies via SKYPE

LONE witness, Romona Senassie, daughter of the deceased on Tuesday testified via SKYPE from New York, USA as the Patricia Senassie murder trial continued in the Georgetown High Court. Richard Stanton is before the High Court for the offence.

The witness told the court that in January 2015 she was residing at Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara and the deceased was her mother.

She recalled that on January 12, 2015 she and her mother left home at about 09:00hrs to go to the Timehri Kali Temple because her mother had a religious function there.

Romona Senassie added that she was unable to go into the temple because she was ‘unclean’ and she returned to their vehicle which was parked in the compound until her mother was finished.

The witness in her evidence-in-chief said they left the temple for home at about 17:45hrs and she was at the wheel. When they arrived at their Lot 129 Atlantic Gardens home her mother collected the bunch of keys and exited the vehicle to open the gate.

Romona Senassie said she remained in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and soon after she observed another vehicle speeding in their direction. The vehicle then parked behind her vehicle.

She told the court that the vehicle that pulled up was a metallic silver grey Raum and a man exited from the back seat and walked past her side of the vehicle and looked at her briefly.

“He had a gun in both hands” pointing it at her mother as he walked up to her. “At that time she was bent over trying to put the key into the padlock,” Romona Senassie said.

She noted that the man did not shoot at her mother right away but when she looked up it was clear she was in shock because her mouth was open when she saw him. She looked at me then back at him again and it was then he started to shoot in rapid succession.

Romona Senassie said her mother then made two steps backwards and fell to the ground and she and the man made eye contact because she was able to see him clearly from the street light and the lights from neighbouring houses. The place was adequately lit.

The witness related that she saw the man properly for a few seconds since her car lights were on inside before he jumped into the vehicle he came with, which sped off.

Romona Senassie told the court that when the man left she exited her car and went to her mother who was alive but bleeding from bullet holes in her neck which she tried to cover with her hands.

The SKYPE witness added that she screamed out for help because she felt helpless and neighbours came “rushing” out and surrounded them but one man, a neighbour she only know as ‘Chico’ went to her and another man who placed her mother in the back seat of her car.

She stated that she went into the back seat with her mother while a woman ‘Sattie’ got in the front passenger side along with ‘Chico’ who was also in the back seat and a guy name ‘Joseph’ drove them to Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

Upon arrival at GPHC, Romona said her mother was taken inside to be attended to while she remained in the waiting area and about 10 minutes after a doctor told her that her mother was pronounced dead on arrival.

She was taken to see her mother’s body and at that point they were counting the bullet holes on her body.

Romona described the man, who shot her mother as being big-built with a fat or high stomach about 5-7 feet tall, black with high cheek bones who was dressed in a doo-rag on his head, army looking boots, and dark clothing with a black bullet proof vest.

She added that the man had on a stocking under his ears to his mouth and he was of African descent.

Romona recalled that on January 14, 2015 at 20:14hrs she went to GPHC where she identified her mother’s body to Dr. Nehaul Singh in the presence of two female relatives and a police rank.

On January 26, 2015 the witness said her mother’s body was cremated in New York and on April 25, 2015 she attended an identification parade at CID HQ at Eve Leary.

The 2015 murder trial of Patricia Senassie continues in the Georgetown High Court before Justice Brassington Reynolds and a 12-member jury.

According to the state, it is alleged that on January 12, 2015 at Atlantic Gardens, Patricia Senassie was murdered by the accused Richard Stanton.

As the indictment was presented the accused pleaded not guilty and his interest is being represented by defence attorney Mark Waldron.

In presenting the state’s case, Tiffini Lyken told the court that at about 06:45hrs on January 12, 2015 tragedy struck Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara, in front of the home of the victim, Patricia Senassie.

As she exited the car to open her gate, while her daughter remained in the vehicle, a vehicle came up behind them. A man, identified as the accused, exited the vehicle, walked up to Senassie, shot her five times then retreated to the vehicle he came in which sped off.

The mortally injured woman was taken to GPHC where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

State prosecutor, Tiffini Lyken said on January 14, 2015 Dr. Nehaul Singh performed a post mortem and gave the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.

She related that the police conducted an investigation and the accused was charged for the offence.