TWO persons have each been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the February 2020 murder of Gopaul Seeram, also known as “Eyelash”, at Long Dam, Coconut Dam, Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
The sentences were imposed by Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Demerara following the conviction of Deomattie Salickram and Dhanraj Ramkishan for Seeram’s murder on February 4, 2020.
Salickram was represented by attorney-at-law Mikel Puran, while Ramkishan was represented by attorney-at-law Excellence Dazzell.
The two had been found guilty of fatally beating Seeram, 48, during an altercation that stemmed from a dispute between neighbours.
At the time of the incident, Seeram lived with his wife, Shakeela Kishore, and their child at Cane Grove, while Salickram and Ramkishan, who were reputed spouses, lived next door.
According to reports, the violence erupted after Salickram attempted to contact Kishore by telephone to enquire whether Ramkishan was at home. Kishore did not answer the call.
Later that day, Salickram confronted Kishore, and the two women became involved in a heated argument.
During the confrontation, Ramkishan and Seeram became embroiled in a fight. The court heard that Ramkishan and Salickram armed themselves with pieces of wood and repeatedly struck Seeram about his body.
Kishore rushed to assist her husband but was also attacked during the ordeal. She managed to escape, while Seeram was left critically injured.
He was taken in an unconscious state to the Mahaicony Hospital before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Following the killing, Salickram and Ramkishan appeared before the Mahaica Magistrate’s Court, where they were jointly charged with murder.
They were not required to plead to the indictable charge and were remanded to prison pending the outcome of the case.
At the conclusion of the preliminary inquiry, the presiding magistrate found that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Salickram and Ramkishan and committed them to stand trial at the Demerara Criminal Assizes.
After a trial before the High Court, a jury found the pair guilty of murder, paving the way for Justice Kissoon to impose the 25-year prison sentence on each offender.