SURAJ Verasammy, called “Radesh”, was, on Tuesday, charged with the murder of his reputed wife, when he appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s court.

The 30-year-old labourer of Hampshire Village East Berbice Corentyne was not required to plead to the indictable charge when he appeared before magistrate Peter Hugh.

Veerasammy was charged with the capital offence, after he confessed to investigators that he murdered his reputed wife then stuffed her remains in a barrel.

According to investigators, Veerasammy and his reputed wife, 24-year-old Deveika Narinedatt, called “Vanessa”, were having a heated argument during which the young woman wanted to leave the relationship. This caused Verasammy to have suicidal thoughts, but, after Narinedatt continued the argument, he, allegedly struck the woman to the head, knocking her unconscious as he continued to plunder several blows to her face and back of her head before taking a bed sheet and hanging her in the house they shared in Hampshire, East Berbice Corentyne.

He left the woman hanging for several hours then took one of two blue barrels in the yard and stuffed her remains into it. He then rolled the barrel out of the yard into a nearby trench where he dumped the

woman he felt he could not live without. Following the discovery of the body on Saturday, the police were seeking his whereabouts and he was eventually found on Sunday hiding under the Canje Bridge, at the Dharam Shala, where he took shelter. On Monday he confessed to the crime and was processed and placed before the courts on Tuesday after he was charged. He was remanded to prison and will make his second court appearance on June 9, 2020, at the Albion Magistrate’s court.

Meanwhile, as the picture of the young woman was circulated in the media, relatives identified the woman as Deveika ‘Vanessa’ Narinedatt, formerly of Lot 361, Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo. Her father Chandrika Narinedatt was invited to witness the post mortem conducted on Tuesday morning by pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh at Anthony’s Funeral Home, on the West Coast Berbice. Details revealed the

cause of death as asphyxiation due to compound neck injuries and blunt force trauma to the back of the head.

The body of Narinedatt was discovered, on Saturday morning, partially submerged in a small trench at R & S Street in Belvedere, East Berbice Corentyne, after it began to smell. A neighbour who went to investigate noticed a foot dangling from the barrel and he raised an alarm. The police were summoned.

The couple had moved into the area about five months ago, and neighbours noted that they had frequent arguments.