TWO men were on Tuesday committed to stand trial at the High Court for the murder of teen cousins, Joel and Isaiah Henry, whose mutilated bodies were found aback Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice in 2020.

A preliminary inquiry was held at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court for Anil Sancharra, 34, called “Dan-Pole” and “Rasta”, of D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice, and Vinod Gopaul, 35, called “Magga”, of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne.

On Tuesday, Magistrate Peter Hugh, who presided over the matter, ruled that a prima facie case had been made out against them, and that they will now have to face a judge and jury at the Berbice High Court.

The State is represented by the police’s legal adviser, Mandel Moore, while Attorneys-at-Law Dexter Todd, Dexter Smartt, and Javon Cox are representing the duo.

Sancharra’s step-brother, Akash Singh, 20, called “Monkey”, of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, is also on remand for his alleged role in the crime, but his matter is being heard separately before Magistrate Hugh.

The Henry boys were found murdered one day after they went to pick coconuts in the Number Three Village’s backdam.

A post-mortem revealed that Isaiah, 16, and Joel, 18, died of haemorrhage and shock, due to multiple incised wounds. They’d both sustained a severed spine, along with multiple chops about the body. The killers went so far as to carve out a huge ‘X’ on Isaiah’s head, and cut open Joel’s chest.

It is suspected that the boys had died some 36 hours prior to being found. Three days later, Haresh Singh, 17, was found, in a bloodied state as well, in the backlands of Number Three Village, mere hours after leaving home.