AFTER a week-long trial, a jury has found Akeem Morris called ‘Dig Out’ and Roy Sandiford guilty of the August 5, 2018 murder of Troy Ramalho aka ‘Cheese Man,’ a well-known cheese and sausage vendor in Bourda Market. The verdict was delivered on January 31, 2025, following nearly five hours of jury deliberation. Trial Judge Navindra Singh has scheduled March 5, 2025, to sentence the convicts.
The prosecution’s case is that on August 15, 2018, around 11:05 PM, Ramalho had just finished plying his trade for the night and packed up when he was approached by Morris, Sandiford and a third individual, Nya John. John was discharged for the offence previously after a no-case submission was upheld at the preliminary inquiry stage.
At the time, Ramalho was wearing three gold rings and had three gold chains wrapped around his arm. According to eyewitness accounts, Sandiford, armed with a gun, pointed it at Ramalho and ordered him not to move before shooting him.
As Ramalho collapsed, John attempted to flee but was ordered back by Sandiford. Morris then ran over, removed the victim’s jewellery and the group fled the scene in a getaway car driven by George Paton, who was waiting nearby. In 2022, Paton pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter in Ramalho’s death and was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.
Following their arrests—Morris on August 26, 2018, and Sandiford on September 1, 2018—both men were placed in separate identification parades at the Brickdam Police Station. Witnesses positively identified them as the perpetrators. Video surveillance also captured them approaching Ramalho’s stall and fleeing the scene.
Nya John was previously discharged after a no-case submission was upheld. Morris’ defence, led by attorney Kiswana Jefford and Nigel Hughes of Hughes, Fields & Stoby Law Firm, argued that the identification parade was unfairly conducted, and that Morris was being victimised by the police. He claimed to have been home with his one-year-old daughter at the time of the crime.
However, the prosecution pointed out that this was the first time Morris had provided such a specific alibi and emphasised that the police had followed proper identification procedures. Additionally, another accused individual had implicated both Morris and Sandiford in the crime. Additionally, video surveillance captured Morris and Sandiford approaching Ramalho’s stand before the offence was committed and then fleeing the scene.
Sandiford’s defence, represented by attorney Dexter Todd, argued that his client was misidentified by an eyewitness who allegedly held a grudge against him since 2009. However, under cross-examination, Sandiford admitted that he had assaulted the eyewitness. Two witnesses presented by the defence—Eon Grant and Trevor Bentham—claimed Sandiford was at a Superbet shop on the night of the murder, but under cross-examination, they revealed they had never provided this information to the police before the trial. Furthermore, they were contacted by Todd only days before presenting their testimony. During cross-examination, they were unable to recall essential details from their statement, including Sandiford’s correct name. The prosecution, led by State Counsel Christopher Belfield and assisted by State Counsel Muntaz Ali, argued that the evidence overwhelmingly pointed to Morris and Sandiford’s guilt. This included the eyewitness testimony, video surveillance and police procedures followed during the investigation.
