A Smithfield, New Amsterdam man was yesterday charged with the murder of his wife, who he is accused of fatally beating.
Randolph Tahal, 56, of Smithfield, New Amsterdam was arraigned before Magistrate Alex Moore at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court
The charge stated that between September 17 and September 19, Tahal murdered Janet Tahal, 58.
Magistrate Moore denied bail for the accused, who was represented by attorney Charandass Persaud.
Tahal will return to court on October 27 for a report and a fixture.
Stabroek News was told that the wife was beaten sometime on September 17 and she was subsequently taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital before being transferred to the George-town Public Hospital (GPH).
Stabroek News was previously told that the elderly couple were involved in an argument, during which the husband reportedly armed himself with a piece of wood and dealt Tahal several blows about her body.
A post-mortem examination revealed that she died as a result of perforation of the lungs, compounded by blunt trauma to the head.
Meanwhile, Janet’s daughter, Jennifer Khan, stated that her parents had been assisting with funeral arrangements for her grandmother. “They left to go home the Sunday and she was taking on all of this and then Sunday night we heard she was in (New Amsterdam) hospital and we went,” the woman said.
According to Khan, her mother was subsequently transferred to the GPH, where a CT scan was done.
She then noted that on the day the incident is alleged to have happened, she was in contact with her parents all day. “I don’t think my dad did this—yesterday someone break in the house, I don’t know what’s going on,” she added.
She claimed that according to her father, he returned home on Sunday afternoon and found his wife lying unconscious in their room with blood emanating from a wound on her head.
She explained that someone stole a television, jewellery and other items from the house.
Khan described her mother as supportive woman and her father as a family guy.
