ROCHINO Maison, 28, was acquitted of a murder charge in relation to the death of Keno Griffith from Mackenzie, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice).
Maison, also known as ‘Rochie,’ had been on trial for the capital offence before Justice Zamilla Ally-Seepaul and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Demerara.

After deliberations on Tuesday afternoon, the jury’s foreperson informed the judge that they had found Maison not guilty. Attorney-at-Law Domnick Bess represented Maison during the trial.
The incident in question occurred on July 26, 2021, when 36-year-old Griffith, called ‘Tuckey,’ attempted to mediate a dispute between Maison and a woman from the same community.

According to reports, Maison allegedly touched the woman inappropriately, leading her to spit on him in retaliation. In response, Maison reportedly threw a bucket of water at the woman, prompting Griffith to intervene on her behalf.
This escalated into a physical altercation, during which Maison allegedly used a cutlass to inflict wounds on Griffith’s head and arm.
Griffith was hospitalised at the Linden Hospital Complex for several days following the incident. Maison was initially charged with attempted murder, but after Griffith’s death, the charge was upgraded to murder. His cause of death was given as cirrhosis, bleeding, and shock.
This was Maison’s second trial for Griffith’s murder. The first trial, held in November 2023 before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, ended in a hung jury, necessitating a retrial.