Roberts, a minibus driver, had been charged with the double murder of two men at Iron Punt, North West District last year. These murder cases against him were discharged but his freedom was short-lived as he was rearrested minutes after.
Waddell was murdered on January 31, 2006 outside his Subryanville home. Bullets rang out hitting him in his back, face and other parts of his body. He sustained 13 gunshots and died before he could get medical attention. Last August the man’s relatives had again called for justice noting that police have never charged anyone for Waddell’s murder. They believe his killing to be “political”.
During the case of confessed narcotics trafficker Roger Khan, currently serving three concurrent 15 year sentences, it was said that he [Khan] ordered the execution of Waddell and Donald Allison. Under public pressure, the police here later announced that they were going to be investigating the leads coming out of the Khan case and have since invited the public to provide information. Several persons have also been questioned. Roberts was one of Khan’s bodyguards and had been detained with him in Suriname.
Now years after both murders, Roberts has been arrested. Up to press time police had not issued a statement. Stabroek News was unable to contact a senior police official for a comment.
Roberts was initially accused of being a member of a gang which murdered Romeo De Agrella and Clint De Agrella between March 20 and 23 last year. The decomposing remains of the De Agrellas of Grant Strong Hope, Lower Pomeroon River, were found days after they failed to return home. Post-mortem examinations revealed that they died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) for the De Agrella murders was being heard by Magistrate Alan Wilson. In his ruling at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, Magistrate Wilson told the police that when they were ready to properly present the case to him they could return. He stated that the matter was being discharged on the grounds of want of prosecution.
The PI commenced early last month.
The lawyers in the matter were attorney-at-law Glenn Hanoman, who represented Roberts, and Hukumchand, who represented Da Silva.
Attorney-at-law Vic Puran was also there on behalf of Jerome Parks. Puran’s client had been charged initially with the De Agrella murders but that charge had been withdrawn so a charge of procuring the murders could have been instituted against him. The PI against Parks in relation to the De Agrellas murders is yet to commence.
The men had all been separately charged and they all are currently on remand at the Camp Street Prison. Last year Crime Chief Seelall Persaud had told Stabroek News that the De Agrella murders were drug-related. Police, in a statement, had said that investigations revealed that the victims had left Venezuela and after not returning to Guyana as expected they were reported as missing on March 22. The statement said their bodies were found with gunshot wounds while their boat bore bullet holes. It was recovered without the outboard motor engine. The boat was found overturned in the Waini River by the occupants of a passing passenger vessel. It was subsequently pulled ashore.
A fourth person, former policeman Sean Belfield, called ‘Buck-up,’ who was wanted for questioning in relation to the murders, is still at large. Belfield was also a Khan bodyguard.
