A 31-year-old labourer, who buried his brother-in-law in a shallow grave because he was repeatedly abusive to his sister, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for the killing.
Rakesh Koonchalama called ‘Danny’ of Lot 9, Number 65 Village Corentyne, pleaded guilty to manslaughter when he appeared before Justice Claudette La Bennett earlier this week; the state accepted the plea. He had initially been charged with murder.
According to the facts of the case, as related by State Counsel Ganesh Hira, on January 3, 2007, Koonchalama went to the beach in his community, where he had a confrontation with Kosal Ramawad called Davo, his younger sister’s husband, over Ramawad’s physical abuse of his sister. A fight ensued and Ramawad, 22, who was armed with a cutlass, allegedly lashed Koonchalama on his hand.
Koonchalama retaliated by picking up a piece of wood, which was nearby and hitting his attacker on the head, causing him to fall unconscious.
The prosecutor said that Koonchalama, who had dug a hole on the seashore the previous day, then saw his uncle Anand Singh passing by and asked him to help him put Ramawad in the hole. When Singh refused, Koonchalama buried Ramawad himself. However, he returned to the scene of the crime the next day, removed Ramawad’s body and threw it in a nearby fish pond.
Days later, after searching unsuccessfully for her husband, Ramawad’s wife Nadia, reported him missing to the police. The investigation led detectives to the foreshore where they found the decomposed body of Ramawad.
A post-mortem examination found that Ramawad died of asphyxia and drowning.
Koonchalama was subsequently charged.
In his plea of mitigation, Defence Counsel Jodaswir Misir said the incident stemmed from animosity owing to a breakdown in family relationships. The lawyer said his client was remorseful as he was conscious that he had left four young children without a father.
In imposing the sentence, Justice La Bennett rebuked Koonchalama. She told him that he should have advised his sister to seek counselling or to leave the relationship. “You took the matter in your own hands, and you will have to face the consequences,” she said, handing down the ten-year sentence.