-wants ‘real’ killer to be brought to justice

DAYS after he was freed of the 2017 murder of young teacher Kescia Branche, former murder accused Matthew Munroe called on the relevant authorities to reopen the investigation so that the real killer can be brought to justice.

Munroe, a 52-year-old taxi driver, made this call at a press conference held at the De Impeccable Banquet Hall on Monday. He was accompanied by his lead attorney Dexter Todd and other members of his legal team.

“If the media and the general public could join me and we could ask the government or whoever is responsible for this case to reopen so justice can be served, because it’s not fair for Miss Branche and her family. Justice must be served, not only for her but for me,” he said.

On May 24, hours after his trial commenced before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court, Munroe was freed after the state prosecutor disclosed that several key witnesses could not be found.

Justice Kissoon had told the court that owing to the absent witnesses he did not believe there would be sufficient evidence for the state to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. He then directed the jury to return a formal not-guilty verdict before telling Munroe that he was free to leave the courtroom.

Munroe insisted that he was wrongfully charged and left to suffer for five years on remand, while also being away from his relatives. The man claimed that while in police custody, he was badly beaten by police officers who wanted him to confess to the crime.

“At one time they [police] took me into a dark room and they beat me. They cover my head with a plastic bag several times,” Munroe said as he broke down in tears.

Munroe added that the police also took DNA samples from him for comparison with evidence reportedly found under the dead woman’s fingernail. However, the results were never disclosed.

He recalled being in police custody for 10 days before being placed before a magistrate on December 6, 2017. For the next five years, Munroe was a guest of the state which he said was not a “good life.”

The now freed man said that it feels good being reunited with his family and he feels as if he has a new lease on life.

“Being back with my family is great. Freedom is good,” Munroe said with a smile on his face.

Munroe rebuffed claims that he and the young teacher shared a romantic relationship. He emphasised that he provided only taxi services to the woman.

TOO MANY IRREGULARITIES
During the press conference, Todd said that upon perusing the court documents one would come to find that his client was wrongfully charged, since there was no nexus connecting him to the crime.

“There was only one conclusion that one can come to… it is clear that the wrong person was charged,” he said.

He explained that the purpose of the press conference was to highlight the alleged irregularities in the investigative arm and to bring to light cases like Munroe’s.

“Too many matters go before our courts that were not properly investigated and before long these matters fall through the cracks like this matter, where there was absolutely no evidence from the beginning,” he said.

“Why was Mr Matthew Munroe committed to stand trial in the High Court?” Todd questioned.

After describing his client’s situation as a “travesty,” Todd called for the reopening of the police investigation so that the dead woman’s family can get justice.

“If during the investigation, the authorities come to a point in which they believe that they need better experts, then they must do so,” he added.

According to Todd, the case against his client was circumstantial since it could not “logically follow” to prove that Munroe was connected to the murder.

“Too many times and too often we find matters like these in the system. We allow the accused to get off and everybody goes back to the normal. That must stop in our country. We need a better system. We need a better investigative arm. We need better police investigation. We of course want to ensure that whenever a matter goes before the court that it is of substance. Too often we treat these things lightly where the life of a person is interrupted,” he said.

Against this backdrop, Todd highlighted that after being behind bars for five years, it took just a couple of hours in the courtroom for his client to become aware that there was absolutely no evidence against him.

“This should have never gotten that far…Matthew Munroe’s case must be the voice of other persons who might tend to suffer from the same fate or the same type of circumstances. So, what we would want is that this case, the one that provokes a change in the operation of the investigative arm,” Todd said.

Branche, a mother of one, who resided in Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown, was last seen alive on November 4, 2017, when she left for a night out with her friends.

She was found in an unconscious state in the vicinity of Princes Street and Louisa Row in the city the following day.

Her left leg was broken and there was evidence that she had sustained multiple head injuries.

The Richard Ishmael Secondary School teacher died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) two days later.

A post-mortem examination revealed that she died as a result of brain haemorrhage.

During the investigation, three suspects who were being questioned were released. At the time of the trio’s release, the police were seeking to contact the taxi driver whose cellphone number appeared repeatedly on Branche’s mobile device.

Investigators were of the opinion that Munroe might have been the last person to see the teacher alive.