The families of Rajesh Singh and Fazil Hakim, the two men who were gunned down more than 12 years ago at a rum shop in Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara say that while they are relieved with the recent sentencing of the killer, the death sentence would have been of greater satisfaction.
Stabroek News recently reached out to both of the men’s families and they had mixed reactions to the sentence. However, they both agreed that had it been the death sentence which was handed down instead, they would have been more satisfied.
“I don’t care how much sentence they sentence them, it can’t bring back my brother…..Better could have been done. Watch how long they have the matter prolonged for and only 13 years,” Hakim’s sister, Samantha (only name given) said.
Hakim’s mother, Bibi Rehana said, “I can’t be satisfied with that sentence. It doesn’t serve me any purpose. He sentence there, he is there but I have to go on with my life. The thing is dah is too much ah life fah duh sentence wah he get. He shouldn’t see a light again”.
Meanwhile, Singh’s brother-in-law, Paramsook Holladar said, “when a man kill so much people like that, he deserve death. There is no other punishment that can be fair enough for him”.
The two men were fatally wounded on December 16, 2007, after five gunmen, clad in military fatigues and carrying rifles, shotguns and handguns, carried out a ten-minute robbery spree at a rum shop at Agriculture Road, Mon Repos, ECD in front of the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI). This had been during the period of the runaway crime spree.
Two other men: Jagnandan Singh and Yogesh Singh were seriously wounded after the gunmen opened fire on their car while it was passing by.
The police in a statement had said that Hakim, Rajesh and another man were consuming alcohol in a shop owned by Narendra Mukhram when the bandits showed up.
Mukhram went to close the gate to the premises and was confronted by three men, armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a handgun. He was held at gunpoint and taken across to his house next door. Meanwhile, two other men who were also armed with firearms entered the shop and one of them ordered the three patrons to lie on the ground. They hesitated and the other armed man opened fire killing Hakim and Rajesh.
At the house, the armed men held Mukhram’s wife, son and daughter at gunpoint and demanded cash and jewellery. Jewellery valued $500,000 and $300,000 were handed over to the men who assaulted the two children during the process.
On July 2nd this year, Michael Caesar, also known as `Capone,’ 36, who is currently serving sentences for his role in the Lusignan and Bartica massacres, was sentenced to 13 years in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of manslaughter and armed robbery.
Caesar, who was charged with two counts of murder, entered a guilty plea to two counts of manslaughter instead.
He admitted to the killing of Hakim, called ‘Boyee,’ 25, of Mon Repos and Rajesh Singh, called ‘Rabbit,’ 35, of Martyrs Ville on December 16th, 2007 at Lot 82 Agriculture Road, Triumph, when he appeared before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the High Court via Zoom.
Caesar also admitted to two counts of armed robbery where it was alleged that at the same time and at the same location, while in the company of others and armed with weapons, he robbed Narendra Mukhram and his wife of a quantity of cash and jewellery.
Justice Morris-Ramlall made her decision after considering the nature of the acts, the fact that violence was involved and because the actions of the convict were senseless. Caesar was sentenced to 36 years imprisonment for the murders and 30 years for the robberies.
However, in the case of the killings, Justice Morris-Ramlall, however, deducted 12 years for Caesar’s guilty plea, and another 11 years on account of the time he spent on remand, leaving the sentence at 13 years.
For the armed robbery sentence, the judge deducted 10 years for his plea and an additional 11 for the time already spent in jail. As a result, he will serve nine years for the crime.
In December of 2016, Caesar was sentenced to spend 60 and 45 years in jail after pleading guilty to unlawfully killing a total of 20 persons in the Bartica and Lusignan massacres. His new sentences are to run concurrently.
“Fresh memories”
According to the families, the court case and sentencing only bought up fresh memories which are still raw although so many years have passed.
Rehana said that while it has been more than twelve years since her son was taken away from her, the incident is “still fresh”.
“Like I ain’t find a place. Like I could roll and holler and scream. Dah is how I feel till now. I have lost meh mother, meh father and even meh husband but it don’t feel me as how meh son feel me. He was such a good child. He never even speak hard to me,” Rehana stated.
For Rajesh’s mother, Soobhadra Shieobaran, she never attended the court case because “dah only being up fresh memories”.
Sheiobaran said she still feel the same pain which she felt years ago when her son was killed. “Me go get me justice. God go give me my justice,” she said.
Following the shooting to death of the men, the families said life has never been the same for them.
According to Rehana, Hakim worked and provided for her. Three years prior to his death, she said she lost her husband.
Rehana worked at NARI, just opposite the shop where the shooting took place. She said she lost her job one year after Hakim’s death.
“A year after I lost meh job……From the moment you reach the gate, is like you hearing a gunshot. I had to pass the shop every morning. From then I start plant meh garden meh self. Now me nah able to plant the garden. I use to work and he use to assist. Most of the thing he use to help me do. We did start build a house, it was half way build. After he dead, I had come over the house. I have to study how I go mind mehself. How I gone pay meh bills,” Rehana explained.
“It just pain. It pain a lot. In the night when fah sleep, up to now when ah put meh head pun the pillow I would hear like a gunshot and so. Then I could listen, listen and nothing like that,” she wept.
Like Hakim, Rajesh also provided for his mother.
Shieobaran said there is a void in her heart that will never be filled. “Every day me does think about it and cry. Every time I hear a sound like a gunshot, me does remember. It’s not easy at all,” she said.
