A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder following the fatal chopping of a fellow gold miner at a campsite in the Wrong Turn Backdam, Puruni River, Region Seven, on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

The victim, initially known only as “Chiney,” was later identified by his brother as Dexter France, a Guyanese man of Amerindian descent. According to police, France and the suspect, Steve Williams, called “Short Man,” both worked at the same gold mining operation when a dispute erupted between them.

Preliminary investigations revealed that, during the argument, Williams allegedly armed himself with a cutlass and dealt France a fatal chop to the chest.

Following the incident, police visited and processed the crime scene. France’s body was transported to the Bartica Regional Hospital before being moved to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home for a post-mortem examination.

On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh conducted the examination, which confirmed “chop wound to the chest” as the cause of death.

Williams was arrested the day after the incident, on Monday, May 12, at the Police Checkpoint in Itaballi. He was charged with murder contrary to common law and appeared before the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, May 15, where he was not required to plead and was remanded to prison.

The matter has been adjourned until July 10, 2025, for further proceedings. Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.