A construction worker was found guilty on Monday of stabbing his friend to death at a Superbet shop in 2023.
Andrew Seegobin, 32, of John’s, Port Mourant, Berbice, was charged and remanded for the murder of Ramanand Mingo, which occurred on November 19, 2023, at the Superbet shop in his community.
When the charge was read to Seegobin, who stood before Justice Deborah Kumar-Chetty at Berbice High Court, he pleaded not guilty.
State Prosecutor Marisa Edwards called 15 witnesses, including seven police officers and one doctor, who testified during the trial.
The shop owner, Parbatee Ramsammy, testified at the commencement of the trial last week, stating that she had just returned from the hospital with her son, Chandrapaul Ramsammy, and his son when she heard an argument between Seegobin, Ramanand, and Ramanand’s brother, Dianand.
Parbatee said she tried to chase the men out of the shop but was pushed to the ground by Dianand. Seeing this, Chandrapaul tried to intervene and rushed into the house to grab a cutlass to scare off the men. At that moment, Parbatee went to collect her keys to lock up the shop. When she returned, she saw blood on Ramanand’s clothes. She told the court that after the men left, she washed the blood off the ground.
While testifying, Chandrapaul stated that when he returned with his cutlass, he heard Ramanand telling Dianand that he had been stabbed. He said he did not see whether Seegobin attacked the brothers.
Chandrapaul also mentioned that before the incident, he warned the two brothers about their behavior when they visited the shop. He confirmed that the premises had cameras, but they were not functioning.
Another witness was Parbatee’s youngest son, Amoss Ramsammy, who also operates the shop. He said he heard the argument but did not see how Ramanand was stabbed. He also saw a car pick up Ramanand and Dianand before leaving.
Government Pathologist, Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan testified that he conducted the postmortem examination on Ramanand’s body, which revealed that he died from shock and haemorrhage due to a stab wound. He said it is highly unlikely that the wound was caused accidentally. Under cross-examination, Bridgemohan stated that the injury was not accidental, but it was deliberately inflicted with a sharp cutting instrument.
In an unsworn statement to the court, Seegobin mentioned that Ramanand approached him with a knife and he held onto his hands, then turned the knife towards Ramanand, which subsequently injured him in the left chest. Seegobin claimed he was also injured with the knife.
Seegobin’s lawyer, Attorney-at-law Surihya Sabsook, in her address to the jury, stated that her client was attacked and acted in self-defense. However, Prosecutor Edwards rejected Andrew’s claims, mentioning that, given the seriousness of Ramanand’s injuries, Andrew had wanted to kill Ramanand.
On Monday, after Justice Kumar-Chetty addressed the jury and guided them on how to determine whether Andrew is guilty or not, they were given time to deliberate on the case. After more than two hours, the jury returned with a guilty verdict
Seegobin, who appeared with his Bible in hand, was further remanded to prison until his sentencing.
Justice Kumar-Chetty set April 17th for the sentencing hearing, with several documents to be prepared and presented.
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