A 27-year-old seaman who is accused of fatally stabbing Friendship, East Bank Demerara (EBD) resident Marlon Peters during a quarrel over a cellular phone last weekend was charged with murder yesterday and remanded to prison.
Joshua O’Neil, of Lot D46 Gobin Dam, Friendship, EBD appeared at the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court, where the charged was read to him via Skype by Magistrate Sunil Scarce.
O’Neil is accused of murdering Peters on May 9th at Gobin Dam, Friendship, EBD.
He was not required to plead to the indictable charge.
The matter was adjourned until June 17th.
O’Neil was arrested on Monday after he turned up at a police station in the West Coast of Demerara district and reportedly told the ranks that he was involved in a stabbing with another man.
The police later learnt that it was the altercation with Peters that O’Neil was speaking about and he was immediately placed in custody.
Peters, 33, of Lot 46 Q Goblin Dam, Friendship, EBD, was stabbed during an argument with O’Neil, which took place around 9.45pm last Saturday.
An eyewitness told investigators that she saw Peters walking east going towards his home when he was approached by the suspect.
The eyewitness recalled hearing an argument erupt between the two men over a cellular phone that was stolen sometime back while they were in the interior.
She said she saw Peters walking away and continuing on his path home. However, the suspect followed and dealt him several stabs with a knife.
Peters sustained a single stab to the abdomen and two stabs to the back after which he immediately fell on the ground. The suspect then ran into some nearby bushes.
Peters was picked up and rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where he was later pronounced dead.
The police recovered the suspect murder weapon, a black-handled kitchen knife, at the scene.
