A MIXED 12-member jury was, on Monday, empanelled before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court for the trial of two men who allegedly murdered 75-year-old retired professor, Pairadeau `Perry’ Mars in 2016.
Paul Chance, 23, and Andre Benjamin, 22, denied murdering the former University of Guyana professor on May 12, 2016, at his Bissessar Street, Prashad Nagar home, during the course of a robbery.
The state was represented by prosecutor Abigail Gibbs while the men were represented by attorneys-at-law Ronald Daniels and Kiswana Jefford.
The trial is expected to commence next Monday.
In 2019, the duo’s co-accused Nikisha Dover, Orin McRae, and Naomi Adams were arraigned before High Court Judge, Navindra Singh, for the capital offence of murder.
However, they opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. Dover and McRae were each sentenced to 12 years in jail and Adams was sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Mars was killed by a gang of teens, who beat and bound him in his house. At the time, the teens were between the ages of 15 and 18 and reportedly confessed to the murder/robbery, while in police custody.
On the day in question, at about 18:30hrs, the professor was found in his house by his wife with his hands and feet duct-taped and with injuries to his head.
The house was ransacked, and a number of articles and cash were missing. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a private hospital.
According to reports, the teens were known to Professor Mars. They were arrested after neighbours allegedly observed the group leaving the retired professor’s residence with suitcases and entering a car. Subsequently, his wife returned home and found his bloodied and lifeless body in the house.
Less than 24 hours later, the police arrested the suspects and recovered a sum of cash, a laptop computer, iPod and PlayStation that were taken from Mars’ house.
Mars specialised in African Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, USA, having studied history at the University of Guyana and Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
He was also credited with developing an international academic exchange project between Africana Studies, the College of Urban Labour and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA), and the University of Guyana.
A post-mortem performed on Mars had revealed that death was due to manual strangulation, compounded by multiple fractures to the head and face.
