Lawrence Rowe, charged with murdering a Cuban national who was killed a short while after he landed in the country, was yesterday committed to stand trial for the crime.
Rowe, of Lot 69 Parker Street, Providence, is accused of murdering Joel Perez Laffita during the course of a robbery on March 8, at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
At the conclusion of the preliminary inquiry into the charge before Magistrate Leron Daly, attorney Adrian Thompson, who represented Rowe, argued that a prima facie case was not established and that his client should not be called upon to lead a defence.
Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru, however, stated that Rowe ought to be called upon to lead a defence for the offence. He added that the court should accept the statement under caution given by the defendant as one that was made freely and voluntarily.
Magistrate Daly subsequently stated that based on evidence led, she saw no need to exclude Rowe’s statement, which she found to have been given freely and voluntarily,
It was further stated that a prima facie case had been established against Rowe and that he would have to lead a defence.
In leading his defence, Rowe told the court that he was innocent of the charge and that he gave no statement to the police. He opted to call no witness.
Rowe was then committed by the magistrate to stand trial for murder at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Assizes.
He will remain on remand until that time.
Laffita, 47, was discovered dead during the wee hours of March 8 on the Providence Public Road and it was suspected that he was shot during a robbery attempt.
He had been last seen alive around 8.30pm on March 7, when he disembarked a ship which arrived from Trinidad and Tobago.
