Timothy McKenzie, the 22-year-old man who was charged with murdering Richard Noel last year at the Stabroek Market, was yesterday committed to stand trial for the crime, while his father, James McKenzie, who was charged alongside him, was freed.
This followed the conclusion of a Preliminary Inquiry into the charge, which was conducted by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magis-trate’s Court Five.
The McKenzies were jointly charged with murdering Noel on June 4th, 2018, at Stabroek Market, Georgetown. They were not required to plead to the indictable charge.
After Prosecutor Deniro Jones closed his case yesterday, Magistrate McGusty told the court that based on the entirety of the evidence presented by the prosecution, she found that a prima facie case had been made out against Timothy and, therefore, committed him to stand trial for murder at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Assizes.
In relation to James, who allegedly provided Timothy with the weapon that was used to kill Noel, the magistrate said that the witnesses were not able to provide sufficient evidence against him and subsequently discharged him.
Noel, called ‘Nippo,’ of Lot 39 William Street, Kitty, was stabbed once in the chest during the encounter. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was admitted in a critical condition. He succumbed to the wound on the same day.
