Christopher St Hill called ‘Ninety’, killed two years ago by unidentified gunmen, might have been used by persons associated with drug accused businessman, Roger Khan to get at Devendra Persaud, well placed sources have disclosed.
And while local law enforcers had seemed unaware of Persaud’s killer until recent disclosures by the United States government, Stabroek News was told that the information concerning St Hill’s alleged involvement was passed to the police days after the murder.
Late last month the US government alleged in court that Khan who is facing an 18-count indictment on drug trafficking had ordered the execution of Persaud, who was gunned down in Palm Court over three years ago, as well as several of its informants and other drug dealers. The revelations were made in the Eastern District Court of New York after Khan’s attorneys got hold of a sealed confidential document, which contained an interview between Persaud and the US government in relation to a narcotics case against another Guyanese who was said to be a member of Khan’s organisation. Since that revelation there has been a series of other disclosures by the US government including an accusation that Khan was associated with a killing squad responsible for the deaths of over 200 Guyanese and had ordered the murder of Agricola boxing coach, Donald Allison. Khan has since denied murdering Persaud and Allison and in a motion last week his lawyers named national cyclist Tyrone Hamilton as saying that he knew who killed Persaud.
Hamilton later told Stabroek News his views were misrepresented by Khan’s lawyers, contending that he never said with any certainty who Persaud’s killer was. Meanwhile, Stabroek News understands that the man who allegedly did the killing was St Hill who had links with the infamous Phantom Squad. Stabroek News was told that on the night of Persaud’s killing St Hill walked into Palm Court with his face partially covered and opened fire, killing Persaud and injuring two others including Hamilton at a table. Persaud was shot close to 15 times in what had appeared to be an organised hit. Khan’s lawyers have also charged in their motion that they had investigated and found out that after Persaud returned to Guyana from the US he had shot an individual and that individual or persons associated with him would have had strong motives to shoot him in retaliation. In addition, the defence said in 1999, ‘Butch’ Fraites – a pilot was killed in Guyana and Persaud was arrested for the murder. The charges were dismissed and Persaud moved to the US. When he returned to Guyana in 2003, friends and associates of Fraites would have had ample time and motive to kill him, Khan’s lawyers argued.
St. Hill, who was killed just days after the assassination of talk show host, Ronald Waddell back in February 2006 was known to be associated with the Phantom Squad and even at his funeral several of his friends fired shots in the air as his body was lowered into the grave.
Around 2 pm on February 5 police driving along the Turkeyen Public Road saw St. Hill’s heavily tinted white AT 192 Toyota Corolla parked. Upon making checks on the vehicle St. Hill’s body was found shot up with several wounds to his back and head. His relatives had argued at the time that he was killed by rogue members of the police force, but this was refuted. At the time of his death St. Hill had several pending matters in the court for gun possession and other crimes.
On May 4, 2005, Magistrate Maxwell Edwards had issued an arrest warrant for him after it was alleged that he was involved in a shoot-out at Punt Trench Road, Independence Boule-vard the previous week.
Ever since the US released information about Khan’s alleged criminal activities here there have been mixed reactions with some persons saying that it was known a while ago that the businessman was involved in gangs. Khan himself had acknowledged using his own resources to help the police fight crime during the escapee-led crime wave in 2002-04.
On Friday the main opposition, PNCR said the PPP/C administration must come clean about its knowledge of Khan’s activities here. The party said that the PPP/C could not have been unaware of the drug accused’s extensive narco-related activities. Other parliamentary opposition parties have also called on the Bharrat Jagdeo government to conduct an expanded investigation into death squad killings here.
Last week the police formally requested from the US government through its embassy here any information regarding Khan’s criminal conduct while he was in Guyana. Khan stands charged with an 18-count indictment of distribution, importation and possession of cocaine and serving as a principal administrator, organizer and leader of a continuing criminal enterprise in New York and elsewhere.
