A mixed jury was empanelled yesterday morning for the trial of Shawn Richardson, who allegedly kidnapped and murdered a taxi driver in late 2003.
The trial will commence today.
Richardson, also called ‘Jungle Commando,’ has been on remand since November 2004 for the murder of Vivekanand Nandalall. It is alleged that sometime between October 16, 2003 and March 13, 2004, Richardson murdered the deceased.
Prosecutor Judith Gildharie-Mursalin will be leading the state’s case while attorney Clarissa Riehl is defending the accused. The case will be heard by Justice Winston Patterson.
Richardson, of Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was first charged with the murder in November 2004 and committed to stand trial after a preliminary inquiry.
Reports were that Nandalall was kidnapped in October 2003 and his uncle paid a ransom but he was not released. What were suspected to be his skeletal remains were later found in the cane field behind Bare Root, ECD. In early July 2004, DNA tests conducted in Canada confirmed that the skeletal remains were those of the taxi driver.
