ONE day after pleading not guilty to the gruesome murder of a West Berbice couple, Nazameed Rafeek on Tuesday opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

The 24-year-old man was at the time appearing before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Berbice High Court for the continuation of his trial. He indicated his desire to change his plea before throwing himself at the mercy of the court, after a number of witnesses had already testified.

The charge was re-read to him, and he confessed that he killed 81-year-old Doodnauth Arthur Rajkumar and his reputed wife, 49-year-old Dianne Chamanlall, also known as “Devi”, at School Dam, Bush Lot, between January 8 & 9, 2016.

The case has been adjourned to November 24, when a probation report in favour of Critchlow will be presented before the sentence is handed down.

He is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Mursaline Bacchus, while Prosecutor Abigail Gibbs is on record for the State.
During the plea hearing, Gibbs read Rafeek’s caution statement, which was taken the day after the couple’s murder. In that statement, Rafeek admitted the involvement of two of his friends, namely the co-accused Rooplall Abrahim, called ‘Vijai’, and Madanpaul Gocoul, called ‘Clown’.

In his caution statement, Rafeek said that on the afternoon of January 8, 2016, he, “Clown” and “Vijay” met at Bush Lot, and together they planned to rob “Uncle Arthur”.

“Abee smoke up some ‘ganja’ weh Vijay bring, and abee feel nice… Meh had wan kitchen knife, and Clown and Vijay had one, one cutlass,” Rafeek was quoted as saying in his statement.

He told the police that after getting high, he and his two friends went “on de wuk”, by jumping the fence of “Uncle Arthur” home, and climbing onto his veranda.

According to reports, the couple was living together in the upper flat of a two-storeyed building. Rafeek and his cohorts allegedly broke in through a grilled door before opening a glass door.

While inside, the men went into the bedroom of the couple and woke them up. According to Rafeek, Vijay asked the couple for gold and money, but  “Uncle Arthur” said they did not have any valuables.

“Clown and Vijay then start to chop up Uncle Arthur and he wife wid a cutlass, and me cut dem up wid meh knife,” the accused said in his caution statement.

After making a thorough search for money, all they found of value were a few items of foodstuff and some cigarettes. Apparently incensed by their paltry find, Rafeek and his buddies proceeded to chop the couple mercilessly, to the extent that each of them sustained no less than 20 deep incised wounds and multiple fractures.

“Uncle Arthur and he wife bin ah bleed plenty… like he and she ah guh dead. While abee bin still deh-deh in de house, ah drink Stag Beer weh abee get inside de freezer inside de shop,” Rafeek said.

The sudden arrival of the police at the scene cause them to try to make good their escape by jumping over Uncle Arthur’s back fence. It was during that post-haste escape bid that Rafeek dropped his hat, which was how the police were able to pick him up a couple of hours later.

Rafeek was arrested at his Bush Lot home, and according to Prosecutor Gibbs, there were traces of blood inside his yard and home.
According to a post mortem report, Gibbs said, the couple died as a result of shock and haemorrhage due to their injuries.