– arrest warrants issued for ‘Ducko’, ‘Short Man’
Magistrate Priya Beharry yesterday remanded to prison a taxi-driver said to be involved in Tuesday’s murder of a fireman at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, shortly after he appeared before her at the Providence Magistrate’s Court.
Twenty-seven-year-old Kurleigh Goodluck of 144 Kuru Kuru, Soesdyke-Linden Highway stood in the dock of the court and was informed that he was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge of murder.
Goodluck is accused of being one of the persons who murdered 30-year-old Patrick Daly on September 15 at his Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara home.
The magistrate then issued arrest warrants for two other men, Oswell Johnson called “Ducko” and Errol Williams called “Short Man”, who were allegedly involved in the murder.
Goodluck’s lawyer, Paul Fung-A-Fat made a bail application for him but was told by the magistrate that murder is a non-bailable offence. She then ordered that the accused be remanded to prison and that he appear back in court on November 11.
Goodluck was escorted out of the court by a policeman who was followed by several curious onlookers, including his family members and the deceased’s family.
At one point a female family member of the deceased approached Goodluck’s mother, Mary Garraway, and pointed her finger in her face telling her that her son was a murderer.
Garraway then ran to the police outpost nearby and made a report of the incident.
A policeman was seen shortly afterwards escorting the woman to the police station.
When Stabroek News spoke to Garraway after the brief confrontation, she was still struggling to compose herself, and claimed that “he [Goodluck] nah kill de man.”
She said Goodluck was a very quiet person and he had no reason to kill Daly.
She said Goodluck did not know Daly prior to the incident and “when he de went Trinidad he shoulda stay deh.” She said Goodluck did not have a problem with Daly or anyone else recently.
Garraway the arresting officer had accused her son of lashing Daly after he had wrenched the toilet door open with an iron bar but “he deh went fuh help de man, he nah lash de man.”
She claimed her son had wrenched open the door of the toilet so that Daly could escape his attackers and in the process was also burned with some of the acid since a few sprinkles had spilt on his face.
The mother, in tears, told Stabroek News that since the incident the police have targeted her and her family, including her son Barnett, called Anand Goodluck, who had also been arrested. He was subsequently released from police custody.
Speaking to Stabroek News, Barnett said he has become a target for the police since “up to this morning I deh driving and three policemen with some big, big gun tell me fuh stop and that deh guh check me out.”
He said “I would like de police to leave me alone and go and catch de real criminals.”
He said that on the day of the incident when he was arrested the police were calling him “Kurleigh”. He said “deh ain’t even know who really kill de man cause deh can’t even get me name right.”
He said that residents close to where Daly had lived could attest to the fact that he was a quiet individual.
Reports are that Daly had been chopped to death by three men early Tuesday morning. Police had said that the man was in an outhouse in his yard when three male suspects with whom he had a recent misunderstanding, confronted and threw a corrosive substance on him then inflicted several chops about his body and fled the scene. He died before receiving medical attention.
A post-mortem examination found that Daly, 30, died as a result of shock and haemorrhage due to multiple chop wounds, his reputed wife Denise George had told this newspaper.
The deceased man had made several reports to the police prior to his death but no action was taken by them, upset residents had said.
Meanwhile, the police have also issued wanted bulletins for Williams and Johnson.
“Both suspects are of African descent and their addresses are unknown,” a police press release said.
Persons with information pertaining to the whereabouts of the two men are asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411, 225-2700, 226-2917, 225-8196, 227-2128, 225-6941-3, 911 or the nearest police station.
