THREE men who were charged with the murder of moneychanger, Aaron Latchman and his 18-year-old daughter, Arianna, were last Friday committed to stand trial at the High Court for the crime.

On June 4, Magistrate Alisha George, who presided over the preliminary inquiry (PI) at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court, ruled that there was sufficient evidence for Troy Abrams, Lloyd Sadloo, and Paul Chan to face a judge and jury at the next practical sitting of the Demerara Assizes.

In May, Sean Thomas, called ‘Yankee’, was freed by Magistrate George, on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

Mark Rufino, called ‘Mark’, a 25-year-old labourer of Parika, East Bank Essequibo, was charged jointly for the offence with the other accused, but during October 2020, while on remand at the Lusignan Prison, he escaped and is still at large.

According to reports, on July 4, 2019, Latchman and his daughter had just returned from the city when the robbers pounced on them at their Better Hope, East Coast Demerara residence.

Eyewitnesses said the bandits approached the businessman and demanded cash and valuables, but he refused and a fight started between him and them.

A number of shots were fired, and both Latchman and the teen were hit before they fell to the ground.

The father and daughter were later picked up and rushed to a city hospital where they were pronounced dead on arrival.

An autopsy performed on Latchman revealed that he sustained multiple gunshot injuries, while his daughter sustained a single gunshot injury.