The confession statement of murder accused, Ryan Bacchus called ‘Rattie’, was yesterday admitted as evidence in his trial which is being conducted before Justice Navindra Singh in the High Court.
Bacchus is on trial for the murder of Lakeram McKenzie called ‘Rambo’ who was killed during a robbery at his home. His trial began on Friday after a voir dire (trial within a trial) was held. He is represented by defence counsel Ganesh Hira while Rhondel Weever and Renita Singh represented the prosecution’s case.
In yesterday’s session, the statement Bacchus gave to the police was admitted as evidence and read to the 12-member mixed jury. Bacchus said in his statement that about a week before McKenzie was killed, he and four friends met at the Paradise Sea Dam and planned to rob ‘Rambo’ because they used to work with him.
He said he used to drop off cocaine to Suriname for the deceased and would make US$800 per trip. Bacchus also told police that McKenzie had owed him US$500 and he had also owed one of his four friends who planned the robbery.
On the day of the incident, he and his four friends met at Paradise seawall. Two of the friends brought guns in a car from Georgetown and one of the friends give him a gun. One friend had an AK-47, another was armed with a handgun and the fourth also had a gun.
They then proceeded to McKenzie’s home where they jumped the fence. Bacchus said that his friends went upstairs leaving him downstairs to “keep watch.” He said “I was at the front gate when somebody shoot me on my right side neck and face and after that I heard gunshot going off rapidly…”
Bacchus also told police that after this “I run and jump the back fence and runaway and I fall on the wall…”
One of the four friends took the gun he had in his possession and ran away leaving him behind, he said.
“…The next day I saw a man walking on the seawall and I tell he I get stab up… The police come and arrest me. I din know that they woulda kill Rambo,” he said.
McKenzie was brutally gunned down in his backyard on December 6, 2006, when a band of men stormed his property at Enterprise, East Coast Demerara. The men who came from the direction of the seawall were heavily armed. They carted off jewellery and cash.
The trial will continue tomorrow.
