A young Corentyne block maker is now dead after being stabbed over two dozen times by a drinking buddy, who police say has confessed to the crime.
Mahendra Sooknanan, 21, of Lot 136 Number 69 Village, Corentyne was reportedly battered with a fence picket and then stabbed with his own knife by the suspect, who has been identified as 19-year-old Orvin Soomai.
Sooknanan’s body was discovered along the Number 69 Village, Corentyne Middle Walk dam around 6 am yesterday. He was reportedly stabbed 14 times to his neck and multiple times to other parts of his body.
Sooknanan left home around 1 pm on Sunday to head to a relative’s house, a short distance away, as he would normally do.
His mother, Kowsilla Devi Sooknanan, said that the lad got dressed and told her that he would be heading to his cousin’s house, after which he would be heading to a horse racing event in a nearby village. “He bathe and he dress up and tell me say he a go by he cousin and he take he bicycle and gone and me tell he na stay late,” the mother noted.
Stabroek News confirmed that he arrived at his cousin’s house but he then left late on Sunday afternoon. According to a resident, the lad was later seen entering a rum shop located through a street adjacent to where he resided.
A man who was present in the rum shop noted that the suspect and his younger brother were already there. After Sooknanan arrived, the three had a chat and they then purchased a bottle of rum and left in the direction of where the suspect resides, a short distance away from where the deceased’s body was discovered.
Stabroek News was told that they dropped the suspect’s younger brother, who is 16, at his home and then headed further down the street, where they started to drink.
The suspect has told investigators that after hours of drinking, an argument ensued between the two, which led to a physical altercation. Sources close to the investigation said yesterday that the suspect claimed that the deceased claimed to have a relationship with his the suspect’s wife, which made him angry.
The suspect subsequently used a small fence picket to deal Sooknanan several lashes, after which he reportedly took away the murder weapon, a knife, which the deceased had in his possession, and used it to inflict over 25 stab wounds.
After committing the crime, the suspect fled to the Crabwood Creek area, sources said.
Number 69 Village residents yesterday said that after the body was discovered and the police were summoned to the scene, investigators immediately held the younger brother of the suspect, who then led them to his brother’s location.
The two lads were placed into custody early yesterday morning and the older brother reportedly confessed to murdering his friend.
Sometime around midday yesterday, investigators brought the suspect back to the dam where Sooknanan’s body was discovered and he reportedly pointed out the location in a nearby trench, where he disposed of the murder weapon.
The police managed to retrieve the fence picket but the search to find the murder weapon was unsuccessful up to press time.
Meanwhile, Sooknanan’s parents were in a state of shock yesterday at the news of their son’s death.
His mother related, that when she received the message, she ran to the scene, where she saw him lying face down with one hand behind his head. “He had on he sock and the blue shirt he lef with but me na see he slippers or he phone,” she noted.
Residents of the area described Sooknanan as being a quiet and respectful person.
His father, Chandraca Sooknanan, explained that he was on his way to work yesterday morning when he received the message about his son being found dead. While almost breaking down into tears, the man said when he arrived at the scene and confirmed that it was indeed his son, he was unable to stand. “I was so shock me na able fa see,” he said.
The man recalled, that he last saw his son on Sunday before he left home. “Abbie gaff and me gone to cricket,” the grieving father said.
