On the second day of the resumption of jury trials at the High Court in George-town, the case of Odel Roberts who is accused of the 2015 murder of Sophia businessman Shawn Anys was empanelled before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
Appearing at his trial virtually from the George-town Prisons which has now become the norm because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Roberts denied the capital indictment read to him which alleges that on May 1st, 2015, at ‘D’ Field, Sophia, he along with others murdered Anys during a robbery.
The court heard that Roberts’ girlfriend at the time told investigators that he had related to her being involved in the robbery at the Anys home, but said that it was his accomplice who had done the shooting.
Testifying yesterday from the witness box behind protective plexi glass were two of the man’s four children—Mark and Shakeem Anys who recalled being at home with their father and other siblings when two gunmen invaded and mortally wounded him before robbing the family of electronics and a quantity of cash.
Also testifying was the man’s wife Aminata Anys who said that she was not at home at the time of the incident but received a call from her son Mark who related to her what had transpired. As a result she said she immediately drove to the Turkeyen Police Station and was accompanied to her Sophia home by police officers.
Upon arrival, the woman told the court that she discovered her husband’s bloodied body lying in the living room. She said he groaned to her and she quickly summoned the help of persons gathered to rush him to the hospital.
She sadly recalled that he died shortly after.
Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh testified that Anys had died from multiple gunshot injuries. The court heard from the autopsy report that the man was shot once in the head, and twice in his chest.
Aminata Anys who said that she and her husband operated a shop from their home, told the court that three cell phones, a laptop computer, a digital tablet and some $70,000 were stolen from the house.
The dead man’s children recalled that about 10 on the night in question, they were alerted to the constant barking of their dogs. Mark described the barks as “vicious” and said that his father ventured out to investigate, thinking that someone was probably at the shop.
The young man said that it was while outside that his father was confronted by the two men who led him back inside and shot him as he (Shawn) and the other children tried unsuccessfully to lock the men out.
Mark said that by the time his father reached into the living room, he was shot again and fell to the ground bleeding.
The now 21-year-old said that he ran to the back of the house to hide during the ordeal and after the bandits had left, discovered his father bleeding in the living room at which point he told his other siblings to get rags and water in a bid to stem the bleeding.
He said he then called 911 but got no response and decided to call his mother instead.
Both Mark and Shakeem testified about one of the two men being dressed in black and also wearing a black full-face mask. Unlike Mark, however, Shakeem said that he saw the face of the other man whom he said was unmasked.
He said that after he retreated to his room for safety, he heard and saw the unmasked man ordering his sister who had locked herself in her room to open the door. He told the court that out of fear of his sister being shot, he, too, told her to open the door.
He said that the men then removed a cell phone and laptop computer from his sister’s room before removing cash and other electronics from his parents’ room after which they fled.
Under cross-examination, Shakeem told defence attorney Damion DaSilva that he did participate in an identification (ID) parade, but said that Roberts was not the person he had picked out on the parade.
In his testimony, Detec-tive Inspector Suraj Singh said that following the murder he received certain information and subsequently made contact with Roberts who by that time was in custody for an unrelated matter.
He told the court that he related to Roberts information he had about his involvement in Anys’ murder, put the allegation to him and cautioned him; to which he (Roberts) shook his head in the negative, and during further questioning said, “Boss, I aint know about that (the murder).”
The Detective said that he then held a confrontation with the accused and his then-girlfriend Ayanna Williams who related a story at the conclusion of which the accused just stared at her.
According to Singh, after Williams was escorted out of the room, it was then that Roberts uttered words to the effect, “I did call her (Ayanna) and tell her that me and meh partner went pun the wuk but is he shoot the man.”
Singh said he enquired from Roberts whether he would put what he had said into writing and sign to it but he refused, saying, “nah ah done tell yuh wah ah gaffa seh and me ain’t writing or signing to nothing.”
Singh said that he then made subsequent attempts for Roberts to reveal who his accomplice was but the accused said that he had nothing to say and would be answering no question regarding any murder.
The trial continues tomorrow morning at 9.
