COME September 13, the trial of six persons, including four prison officers, who are accused of assisting death row inmate and convicted mass murderer, Mark Royden Williams, called ‘Smallie’, to escape for the Mazaruni Prison, is expected to begin.

The prison officers are former head of security at the Mazaruni Prison, Alexander Hopkinson, Omar Whitherspoon, Conroy Hosannah, and Oldfield Romulus. Frangeliz Jugandry Flores Perez of Alexander Street, Kitty and businessman Rajmohan Autar called ‘Chico’ were also charged. They are all out on $750,000 bail.
The trial will be conducted by Magistrate Christel Lambert at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.

They are accused of conspiring with each other and persons unknown to assist Williams to escape on May 19.
Williams escaped from the prison around 14:30 hours with the assistance of heavily armed men in a speedboat.
According to the Prison Service, Williams was returning to the Sibley Hall prison on an ATV and was in shackles, after receiving a visit from a female, when the escorting ranks came under gunfire. It is alleged that the ranks dismounted their ATV and returned fire at the assailants.

It is further alleged by the Prison Service that one of the boat occupants came to shore and continued to discharge several rounds towards the prison officers.
Williams managed to run towards the riverbank before jumping into the river, the Prison Service claimed.
The gunmen assisted him into the speedboat which headed upstream past Itaballi Landing. Prison guards and police pursued the escapee and his accomplices. No prison officer was injured during the ordeal.

After being at large for several days, ‘Smallie’ and two accomplices were shot and killed by police during a Joint Services operation at 33 Miles in Region Seven.
In February 2017, Williams was sentenced to death when a jury found him guilty of eight counts of murder in relation to the 2008 Bartica massacre, in which a dozen persons, including three police officers, were shot dead.

Several months later, in July 2017, Williams escaped from the prison at Camp Street, Georgetown, during a riot. It is believed that he was the mastermind.
However, he was nabbed on October 9, 2017, at Weldaad, West Coast Berbice (WCB), while travelling in a public minibus.
In 2013, Williams was acquitted after a 12-member jury found him not guilty of the charges against him in relation to the 2008 Lusignan massacre, which claimed the lives of 11 persons, including five children.

Last year, he was sentenced to death for the 2008 murder of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officer, Ivor Williams.