PAPER committal proceedings in the deadly October 2025 Mobil Service Station bombing case moved closer to completion on Thursday after Acting Chief Magistrate, Faith McGusty, said the prosecution was nearing the end of tendering its evidence.
“We are close to completion of the tendering of the documents. Hopefully, next Wednesday we can complete,” McGusty said at Thursday’s hearing before adjourning the matter to Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 13:30hrs.
The latest hearing saw the prosecution continue its presentation of documentary and digital evidence as the court look to determine whether there is sufficient material to commit the four accused to stand trial before a judge and jury in the Demerara High Court.
Among the exhibits viewed by the court were videos showing the Mobil Service Station and surrounding areas in the aftermath of the explosion, a recorded police interview with accused Jennifer Rodriguez conducted at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, and interviews with other individuals connected to the investigation. The court also viewed a video-recorded police interview with former accused Ramesh Pramdeo, interviews with police ranks, and footage from inside a house and what appeared to be a bar.
The proceedings form part of a paper committal, during which the court reviews the prosecution’s evidence without hearing live testimony to determine whether a prima facie case has been established against the accused.
The matter, which commenced on June 8, is before Acting Chief Magistrate McGusty, who has been examining a substantial body of evidence presented by Senior Police Legal Adviser, Mandel Moore, on behalf of the prosecution. The material includes eyewitness statements, documentary evidence, forensic reports, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analyses prepared by forensic experts in India, surveillance footage and numerous other exhibits gathered during the investigation.
The four accused before the city court are Venezuelan nationals Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedemo, Alexander Bettencourt and Jhonny Boodram, along with Guyanese-Venezuelan Krystal LaCruz. They are all represented by their respective attorneys and remain on remand.
The prosecution alleges that Poedemo placed and detonated an explosive device with the intent to threaten Guyana’s security and sovereignty, or to terrorise the public, contrary to Section 3(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act. The alleged act resulted in the death of six-year-old Soraya Bourne. Bettencourt, Boodram and LaCruz are accused of aiding and abetting him in carrying out the alleged terrorist attack.
The charges arise from the October 26, 2025, explosion at the Mobil Service Station at the corner of Regent and King Streets, Georgetown. The blast killed Bourne, injured several of her relatives and caused extensive damage to nearby buildings and vehicles in what has been described as one of Guyana’s most serious national security incidents in recent years.
The current proceedings follow several months of legal developments in the case in which seven persons were initially charged.
In a related matter in April, Magistrate Alisha George, sitting at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court, discharged Guyanese nationals Ramesh Pramdeo and Wayne Correia after ruling that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against them.
However, their former co-accused, Venezuelan national Jennifer Rodriguez, was committed to stand trial in the High Court after the court found sufficient evidence to proceed with a charge of aiding and abetting terrorism.
She remains on remand and is expected to stand trial at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Criminal Assizes.
Once the prosecution completes tendering its evidence, Acting Chief Magistrate McGusty will decide whether the material presented is sufficient to commit the remaining four accused to stand trial in the Demerara High Court. The Government has previously indicated that it intends to seek the death penalty if convictions are secured under Guyana’s anti-terrorism legislation, which permits capital punishment where a terrorist act results in the loss of life.
