A 20-year-old man was on Thursday remanded to prison after he was charged with the murder of Albert Raghu, the Enmore, East Coast Demerara labourer who died after he was stabbed during a quarrel over loud music on Sunday night.
Zaiheer Alli, of Lot 218 Hope West, Enmore, appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.
It is alleged that on April 12 at Enmore, he murdered Raghu.
Alli was not required to plead to the capital offence. The matter was adjourned until May 18.
Stabroek News had reported that Raghu, called ‘Soldier’, 40 of Lot 218 Hope, West, Enmore, ECD, was allegedly stabbed after he attempted to settle a quarrel over loud music between his wife and their neighbours.
He was stabbed twice, including to his chest, during the altercation, which took place around 11.30 pm on Sunday. Raghu was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), where he was treated and admitted. He succumbed to his injuries around 5.30 am on Monday,
Alli and his wife, who is Raghu’s wife sister was taken into custody following the incident. However, the woman was released from police custody.
Raghu and his wife occupied the lower flat of the house, while Alli and his wife live in the upper flat. The house belongs to Raghu’s father-in-law, who lives nearby.
The police, in a press release, had said that around 11.30 pm on Sunday, Alli and his wife were reportedly drinking and playing loud music, thereby causing a disturbance to Raghu’s wife, Hemwattie Persaud, who was alone in her apartment at the time. Raghu subsequently returned home and Persaud brought the issue to his attention.
As a result, Raghu reportedly armed himself with a cutlass and confronted Alli and his wife, who were in the yard. Alli was said to be armed with two knives at the time, the police had explained.
The police said an argument ensued, during which Alli’s wife allegedly choked Raghu, while Alli allegedly stabbed him.
Alli also sustained a wound to his abdomen for which he received medical attention.
Persaud had explained to this newspaper that she was in bed trying to sleep but the loud music, which was being played by Alli and his wife, stopped her from doing so.“She (Alli wife) had some friend by she drinking and playing music. Well I don’t have a problem with that, with the music or whatever but they laughing hard, hard and when them ah laugh so hard by I am a seizure case in my head I does normally got to use tablet. So I does gah get rest and that time it was so annoying because every time me eye shut, I jumping out ah meh sleep because ah the noise them making upstairs,” Persaud had said.
As the situation grew out of control, Persaud had said she contacted her father and asked him to call the suspects and tell them to “ease” the music. Persaud’s father then called Alli and related the message to him.
Persaud had further related that Alli’s wife apparently then began to take actions to annoy her more but she and Raghu tried to ignore her.
She added that Alli and his wife then went into the yard during which they had an exchange of words, which escalated. “…Me and she (Alli wife) had a teeth and tongue. She come at the front and she cuff my glass window and she seh that how she go bruk the window and start cussing up and suh. Suh meh open the door and meh go out and me and she was arguing and so. She husband (male suspect) now ah rush up to me, so me and he had it out and me husband now come out and seh ‘Bai wah does ayo these? Muss get yuh time and place.’ And he (Alli) run upstairs and he bring down a knife. He get two knife in he pocket,” Persaud had related.
“Me tell meh husband watch dah bai [Alli] get two knife, know wah yuh ah do. So after me husband and she husband ah argue now… she husband [Alli] come from behind and grabble me husband pun he neck and ram the knife inside he. Then she [Alli wife] grabble me husband tuh. Suh me ah try now fah hustle up with all two ah them. He [Raghu] can’t mek it because he done get bore. He weak. Blood ah flow like water,” she said.
Persaud had said that Raghu had armed himself with a cutlass in a bid to defend himself. “…He [Raghu] hold the cutlass fah defend he self and the cutlass fall out he hand and lef pun the ground,” she added.
