Michael Caesar, one of the five men committed to stand trial for the murders of 12 persons at Bartica in 2008, is now awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter yesterday.
Caesar, who was initially indicted on 12 charges of murder, indicated to the court through his attorney, Maxwell McKay that he wanted to plead guilty to manslaughter charges instead. His guilty pleas were accepted by the State.
Caesar accepted that on February 17, 2008 at Bartica, he unlawfully killed Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir and Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne, Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian, Irving Ferreira, Deonarine Singh, Ronald Gomes, Ashraf Khan, Abdool Yasseen, Errol Thomas, and Baldeo Singh.
Justice Roxane George, who heard the matter at the High Court in Georgetown, deferred sentencing to December 16 to facilitate the presentation of two additional charges.
State Counsel Diana Kaulesar informed the court that the indictments for the two additional charges are yet to be filed and the State is still to receive those depositions.
Justice George then explained to Caesar, who indicated that he will be pleading guilty to those charges as well, that the court will pass sentence after all the charges have been brought and he has pleaded.
The matters have been adjourned to December 16 for those pleas to be entered and sentencing. A probation report, which was requested by McKay, is also expected to be presented on that day.
Relaying the facts of the case to the court, the prosecutor said that on the day in question, Caesar travelled from Nabaclis, on the East Coast Demerara, in the company of other members of the Rondell “Fine Man” Rawlins gang.
She said the men travelled to Bartica, where they docked at the stelling. Caesar, who was dressed in soldier’s uniform, was carrying an AK-47 gun and two loaded magazines.
The court was told that convict, along with others, left the boat and went to the Bartica Police Station and within minutes shots could be heard.
The prosecutor said that thereafter the men then went back to the Bartica stelling, carrying more guns, a bullet proof vest and two steel canisters containing money and gold.
At the stelling, the court was told, “Fine Man” shot six men who were put to lie on the ground.
The prosecutor said that after Caesar and the other gang members left Bartica, they travelled to Linden, where they camped out in hiding and divided the money and gold among themselves.
The court heard further that Caesar subsequently left Guyana and was captured on March 8, 2009 by a police officer who had travelled to neighbouring Suriname, where he had fled.
Kaulesar said that that while in custody, Caesar give investigators a written statement in which he admitted that three weeks prior to the shootings, he was informed that they would be going on a “big wuk.”
The prosecutor said the convict also admitted to the shooting at the Bartica Police Station as well as driving along the road in a police vehicle “licking shots wild, wild.” She said he spoke of getting guns and canisters.
After their escape, the state counsel said, Caesar spoke of being given $700,000 by “Fine Man” and a quantity of gold, which he sold for $900,000.
Kaulesar said that on March 2, 2008, Caesar was placed on an identification parade and he was picked out.
McKay, for his part, told the court, “there is no disputing the facts.”
Caesar was charged along with Mark Royden Williams, called ‘Durant Williams,’ Dennis Williams, called ‘Anaconda,’ Clebert Reece, called ‘Chi Chi,’ and Roger Simon.
