FOUR years after the brutal murder of 49-year-old James Stewart, called “Buby,” who was bludgeoned to death, his killer on Tuesday pleaded guilty to the crime.

Christopher Cheong called Chris, although being charged for the capital offence of murder, opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

Cheong confessed before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court that on July 17, 2016, he unlawfully killed Stewart.

Sentencing was deferred until April 20, 2020, when a probation report will be presented.
The Guyana Chronicle was made to understand that on July 17, 2016, Cheong, while intoxicated ,went to his cousin’s home at David Rose Street, Bagotsville, West Bank Demerara and picked up a hammer.

It is alleged that Cheong was annoyed because Stewart had knocked him off his bike and made him fall to the ground.

Cheong went to Unity Village, La Grange, WBD, where he met Stewart and dealt him a lash to his head with the hammer.

Cheong, with his clothes drenched in blood and the bloody hammer returned to his cousin’s home and told him that he had killed somebody. He then went to bed and woke up later to wash his clothes.

Stewart’s body was found by the police lying in a pool of blood in his home with wounds to his head and face.

Stewart’s cause of death was given as cerebral haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt traumas to the head, compounded by broncho-aspiration of blood.