Regan Rodrigues, the suspected triggerman in the slaying of Courtney Crum-Ewing, was charged this afternoon with the political activist’s murder.
The charge against Rodrigues, 37, called “Grey Boy,” stated that on March 10th, 2015, at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, he murdered Crum-Ewing. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which was read to him by Magistrate Fabayo Azore in a Georgetown court.
“In this country, once money pass nobody don’t care nothing. I know they had the real man fuh this murder but they loose he,” Rodrigues, however, said.
The unrepresented Rodrigues was remanded to prison until August 21st.
Police investigators made a breakthrough in the case just over three weeks ago when ballistic tests done on an illegal .32-calibre gun found at Rodrigues’ Georgetown residence was linked to the murder scene.
Rodrigues was previously charged with the possession of the weapon after surrendering to cops, who he had managed to elude before his home was searched.
Rajput Narine, an ex-bodyguard of former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, was subsequently taken into custody and questioned but was released without charge. His lawyer had said that although police told Narine he was being arrested in connection with the Crum-Ewing investigation, while in police custody he was never questioned about it. There was, however, a confrontation between Rodrigues and Narine.
Previously, at least eight persons had been arrested in connection with the probe but police were unable to find any concrete evidence against them. Surveillance footage had also produced naught.
Shortly after his death, Crum-Ewing’s relatives had told the media that two senior members of the former government had made threats to his life and these threats were reported to the Brickdam Police Station. The police have never disclosed clearly if those two persons were ever contacted and questioned about the reports.
Crum-Ewing was shot dead on the evening of March 10th at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, where he was urging residents to vote against the incumbent PPP/C at the May 11th elections.
He was shot five times, including three times to the head.
For weeks prior to his death, he had held one man protest outside the office of the then Attorney General Nandlall, calling for his resignation over controversial statements he made during a telephone conversation with a Kaieteur News reporter that was made public.
