Shane Morgan, called ‘Demon’ and three others are now remanded prisoners after being formally charged with the murder of gold miner Deon Stoll, who was fatally shot by robbers outside El Dorado Trading in Newtown, Kitty, just over two weeks ago.
Four others, including the doctor who is accused of treating a wound that Morgan is suspected to have suffered during the gun battle that erupted during the armed attack, were also remanded to prison after being charged with aiding Morgan, knowing that he was wanted by the police in connection with the murder of Stoll.
Morgan, Roberto Sankar, Wayne St Hill and Steve Rollox were jointly charged with the capital offence of murder and were not required to plead to the charge after it was read to them today by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court One. The charge states that on 14th October at Kitty, Georgetown, the four men murdered Stoll during the course or furtherance of robbery.
Odessa St. Hill, who is the cousin of Morgan and Wayne St. Hill, Dr. Alonzo Dos Santos, Duncan Vanvield and Keith McKenzie, were meanwhile charged with offering assistance to Morgan between October 13th and October 23rd, 2019, knowing that Morgan, Sankar, St Hill and Rollox murdered Stoll. They were not required to plead to the indictable charge,
Attorney Adrian Thompson, who appeared for Morgan, told the court that his client, who is a construction worker of Lot 43 East La Penitence, was in police custody since October 22nd. He added that the wound which police say he suffered during the shootout with Stoll is in the last healing stage, which proves that the wound was inflicted before the murder of Stoll.
Thompson also represented Wayne St Hill, who hails from Kitty. He said Wayne St Hill was in police custody since October 17th.
Meanwhile, Sankar, who is said to be the owner of Island Bar, revealed to the court that he has been in police custody since October 21st because he was seen in CCTV video footage in the vicinity of where the attack occurred during the time it was happening. He was arrested at his home, he said, due to misinformation being peddled by the media. He had previously been charged in 2017 with masterminding a robbery at Pigeon Island in which $1.2 million was stolen from Superbet employees.
Attorney Latchmie Rahamat, who represented Odessa St Hill, in an unsuccessful application for bail told the court that her client is a married graphic designer who has three children. She said throughout her client’s time in police custody, she has maintained her innocence and has been repeatedly telling the police that she had no knowledge that “Demon” and the others committed the offence.
In his application for bail for Dos Santos, attorney Eusi Anderson said that his client is a medical doctor and second lieutenant attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and had surrendered himself to police custody. He stressed that his client, who is an expectant father, is not a flight risk and would adhere to any condition the court wishes to impose on him if granted bail. Further, Anderson said, while in custody there was a confrontation held between his client and Morgan, who maintained that he had never seen Dos Santos before. Further, he said, Dos Santos’ request for an attorney to be present during that confrontation was denied. He noted that his client was told by the police that he will be used as a state witness if he admits to the offence.
Prosecutor Neville Jeffers objected to bail for all of the accused, while citing the seriousness of the offences.
Jeffers said investigating ranks are in possession of a video of Dos Santos admitting to the allegation. In the video, according to Jeffers, Dos Santos admitted that he assisted Morgan, who suffered a gunshot injury and that he was taken by Odessa to the home of Vanvield.
In relation to McKenzie, the court heard that the 53-year-old taxi driver, of Lot 103 East La Penitence, is a father of three. According to his lawyer, Melvin Duke, on October 22nd at 5.01 am, someone called the Pretty Posse taxi service and asked if any taxi was available to take a person to Berbice. At that time, McKenzie was the only person available so he was dispatched. It was claimed that he did not see the face of the passenger, who was later identified as Morgan at the police roadblock. Duke added that McKenzie has been a respectable taxi driver for fifteen years.
Prosecutor Jeffers, however, noted that a wanted bulletin was issued for Morgan and there was no doubt that McKenzie knew who Morgan was when he entered the car.
The magistrate remanded all eight defendants to prison, while saying that she took into consideration the nature of the allegations along with the penalty the offences carry as well as the prosecutor’s submissions. She told them to make their next court appearance on November 15th, 2019.
Additionally, Morgan, Vanvield and another man, Yoganand Basdeo, also faced a separate charge of armed robbery over an attack in which over $3 million belonging to China Trading was stolen. It is alleged that while being armed with a gun, they robbed Yong Quan Bi of $3.2 million, which is the property of China Trading, on September 30th, 2019, at Robb Street, Georgetown. The three men were not required to plead to the indictable charge after it was read to them.
Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield said Bi was transporting the cash from northern Robb Street to the southern part of Robb Street when Morgan and Vanvield, both of whom were armed with a gun, exited a car and pointed their guns at him. They are alleged to have relieved him of a black handbag, which contained the cash and made their escape. The three men were remanded to prison until November 19th, 2019 in connection with this offence.
Stoll, of Baramita Avenue, Bel Air, was shot and killed after armed bandits attempted to rob him upon his arrival at El Dorado Trading. His driver, Clayton Powley, 43, of Turkeyen, and the security guard of the business, Rory Deegs, 40, of Lot 7025 Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, were also injured in the shootout at the location.
Police had said enquiries revealed that Stoll and Powley had just finished transacting business at a Sheriff Street, Campbellville location, where they collected a sum of cash.
They then proceeded to El Dorado Trading to conduct further business. “On arrival, a motor car which was travelling behind their vehicle stopped and two men exited the car wearing caps with their faces tied with kerchiefs,” the police had said.
One of the bandits had a gun, while the other was armed with a knife.
“One with a knife approached Powley while the other approached Stoll with a handgun,” the police said before adding that the knife-wielding bandit ordered Powley to get out of the car while the other told Stoll not to draw his firearm.
However, according to the police, Powley exited the car and attempted to fend off his attacker and he was shot in one of his hands. By this time Stoll drew his licensed firearm and he and the gunman exchanged gunfire. The bandits then ran and re-entered their car, which was driven by a male accomplice. They then fled, empty-handed.
