Murder accused Ryan Bacchus, called “Rattie,” was freed yesterday after a jury found him not guilty of killing Lakeram McKenzie, called “Rambo,” who was gunned down in his backyard when a band of men stormed his property at Enterprise, East Coast Demerara to rob him.
Despite the evidence in the case, the jury returned the unanimous verdict in the High Court, where Justice Navindra Singh, who presided over the trial, told Bacchus to take the chance and turn his life around since he was young. Bacchus thanked Justice Singh and the jury before exiting the prisoners’ dock.
He was represented by attorney, Ganesh Hira, while Rhondel Weever and Renita Singh presented the state’s case.
Bacchus had said in his statement to police, which was admitted as evidence in the trial, that he and four friends met at the Paradise Sea Dam and planned to rob ‘Rambo’ because they used to work with him. He had also said that he used to drop off cocaine to Suriname for the deceased and would make US$800 per trip. Bacchus told police that McKenzie had owed him US$500 and he had also owed one of his friends, who planned the robbery.
On December 6, 2006, he and his four friends met at the 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.
Although his statement was tendered as evidence, Bacchus opted to remain silent when he was called upon to lead his defence by Justice Singh.
A civilian witness had also testified that he received information about the incident and responded to the scene of the robbery and fired shots at the robbers. McKenzie was his neighbour and was living about four houses away from him at the time.
The witness said he went to McKenzie’s residence, where he saw the robbers and as a result he fired shots from his shotgun. He also stated that he shot one of the bandits in the process.
