Regan Rodrigues was charged with the murder of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing based on the advice of the chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which returned the case file to the police prior to the man’s arraignment.
According to a source close to the case, the file was returned to the police late last week with advice that Rodrigues, 37, called ‘Grey Boy,’ be charged with murder and that detectives do further investigations.
During Rodrigues’ arraignment on Friday before city magistrate Fabayo Azore, police prosecutor Deniro Jones reported to the court that the case file was incomplete because the police were awaiting the advice of the DPP.
“You have to remember that there were other persons involved. There were at least a driver and a shooter. More work may have to be done to ascertain who, if anyone, was the planner of the crime,” the source said, before stressing that the case is not complete when a person is charged.
It had been reported that three or four persons were standing around Crum-Ewing while he was being riddled with bullets on March 10th at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
Stabroek News has been told police have received information about the make and model of the getaway vehicle and the colour.
Rodrigues, according to the police, is linked to the weapon that was used in the killing. Police had said that they found the weapon while conducting a search on Rodrigues’ Riverview, Ruimveldt home, shortly after he had fled. He turned himself in to police one day later and was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Ballistics tests on the weapon subsequently confirmed that it was used in Crum-Ewing’s killing.
At his arraignment, the unrepresented Rodrigues declared his innocence and suggested that the person responsible for the murder was let go.
“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,” he said. “They did done pay me to kill Mark Benschop but I say I ain’t no killer. Right now, I don’t know what to say, my worship. I is not no killer…I is no murderer,” he added.
Rodrigues also pointed to Crum-Ewing’s family members, who were present in the courtroom. “I ain’t want his man family fuh hold me out as he killer. I want they know I ain’t kill nobody. But I got a lot of things on this mind that I will keep and it will save me some good day when I talk it out,” he said.
Crum-Ewing, 40, was shot dead as he was urging residents to vote against the incumbent PPP/C ahead of the May 11th elections. He was shot five times, including three times to the head.
Police, who have been under pressure to produce results due to Crum-Ewing’s prominent activism against the former PPP/C administration, announced that investigators had made a breakthrough in the case just over three weeks ago after Rodrigues’ arrest.
