A DEMERARA High Court jury has found Bryan “Big Foot” Leitch guilty of the 2013 murder of Georgetown hotel proprietor Joseph Jagdeo.
The verdict was returned during a retrial before Justice Gino Persaud at the Demerara High Court.
Leitch had previously been convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 33 years in prison, but that ruling was later overturned by the Court of Appeal of Guyana.
The appellate court determined that the trial judge in the initial proceedings had improperly directed the jury. As a result, the conviction was set aside and a retrial ordered.
During the second trial, the jury concluded that Leitch was responsible for Jagdeo’s murder.
During the retrial, the prosecution was led by State attorneys Padma Dubraj, Mtumika Lumumba, and Delon Fraser.
Jagdeo, also known as “Joey,” was a 62-year-old businessman who owned the South-Central Hotel located at Lot 218 South Road, Georgetown. His body was discovered in November 2013 inside a room at the establishment under disturbing circumstances.
Investigators found the hotelier’s body hidden beneath a bed. He had been bound and gagged.
Evidence presented in court revealed that Leitch had been staying at the hotel on November 13, 2013, along with a female companion. At some point during that stay, Jagdeo reportedly realised that his cellular phone had gone missing and confronted Leitch about it.
The interaction between the two men reportedly escalated.
The following day, the hotel’s caretaker attempted to enter Jagdeo’s room to perform routine cleaning duties but discovered that the door was locked. After eventually gaining access, the caretaker found the businessman’s body concealed under the bed with his hands and feet tied with pillowcases.
Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh determined that the cause of death was haemorrhage caused by blunt trauma, along with suffocation and compression to the neck.
Leitch was just 19 years old when he was first charged in connection with the killing.
Since his arrest, he has spent nearly 13 years behind bars as the case progressed through the court system.
At his original trial, a 12-member jury acquitted him of murder but returned a verdict of guilty for the lesser offence of manslaughter. He was subsequently sentenced to 33 years in prison. That verdict and sentencing were later appealed.
Following the announcement of the verdict in the retrial, Leitch was remanded to prison and the court adjourned the case to permit submissions for sentencing.
Leitch is scheduled to return to the High Court on April 13, 2026, when Justice Persaud is expected to impose sentence for the murder conviction.
