OBEDIAH Nicolas Christopher, 19, was freed of the charge which alleged that he killed schoolboy, Leonard Archibald, in September last year, some six days after the child was reported missing.

Archibald’s partial skeletal remains were found off the river bank at Korthberaadt Village, East Bank Berbice, on September 23, 2017.
Several newspaper reports said that the child was allegedly raped and then dumped into the Berbice River, only to be found dead a few days after.

Christopher’s lawyer, Mursaline Bacchus, in his submission to Senior Magistrate Alex Moore at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court, said there was no admissible evidence that his client killed the boy.
He also noted that the post-mortem report was inconclusive as it could not determine the cause of death.

Christopher and the alleged mastermind, Hillary Edwards, 29, were charged separately, but Bacchus argued that even if they were charged together, their statement could not be used against each other.
Consequently, the matter was discharged.

However, the alleged mastermind, Hillary Edwards, remains in custody.
During his earlier court appearance, Christopher had maintained his innocence and his parents had supported his call by staging a protest outside the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.

At one instance, tempers flared after Obediah Christopher screamed at his parents, Peter Christopher and Sunita Motilal, who were standing among the scores of onlookers.
“I am innocent! I am innocent! I did not do this! Fight for me, Mummy. Fight for me in the court,” he cried.

His mother’s eyes were filled with tears as she responded, “Son, I will get you out,” before he was whisked away in a police vehicle to the New Amsterdam Prisons.
The father, Peter Christopher, was also adamant that his son was innocent, even though persons told him “you were not with your son. You can’t swear for him”.

Particulars of the charge stated that Christopher killed young Archibald between Sunday 17 and Saturday 23, September, 2017.