Orpheus Johnson who is accused of killing two men—one whose fiancée and son he also attempted to murder; now faces sentencing after pleading guilty to the various offences when they were read to him yesterday morning.
Johnson had initially been indicted with the capital offence for the deaths of the two men. He, however, pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, but admitted guilt on the lesser offences of manslaughter.
Justice Sandil Kissoon before whom the matters were called, has deferred sentencing to May 3rd, for a probation report.
Johnson accepted that on April 22nd, 2015 he unlawfully killed Gladstone George who at the time was a passenger of a minibus on the Agricola Public Road.
He next admitted to killing Nandy Park miner, Travis Rudder, two months later; and also to charges of attempting to kill the man’s fiancée, Mawanza Gill, and their 18-month-old son, Jaheem Rudder.
The prosecution’s case is that George was shot to death execution-style aboard a minibus in full view of several passengers at Agricola, East Bank Demerara.
State counsel Tyra Bakker said that George had been seated in the second-to-last row of the minibus which had made a stop at Agricola, when Johnson walked up to the vehicle and shot and killed the 32-year-old.
She said that Johnson was later picked out at an identification (ID) parade.
An autopsy the prosecutor said, later revealed that George had died from haemorrhage and shock due to gunshot injuries.
She said he had been shot twice—once to the back of the head, and to the neck.
Regarding the facts as it relates to Rudder, the prosecutor said that on July 21st, 2015, the miner and his fiancée were awakened at their Lindley Avenue, Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara home by loud explosions.
The miner died after shots were fired through the bedroom window of his residence, hitting him, Gill and their 18-month-old son. They were all taken to the hospital, where Rudder was pronounced dead on arrival, while Gill and their son were admitted.
Gill was shot seven times in the leg and sustained several broken bones. The child, meanwhile, was shot in his abdomen.
According to reports, Rudder, was himself previously accused of murder and other crimes. He was acquitted of the murder of his then 14-year-old girlfriend Donnis King in 2011. He was charged with the murder of a cooking gas delivery-man, the attempted murder of Toney Williams, an ex-policeman, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Stabroek News had previously reported that two attempts were made on Rudder’s life before—in December of 2014 and just a month before he was killed.
Sources had said that men would stake out Rudder’s place and wait for him to return to his residence. One source had said that men would usually linger in the area and on several occasions they lobbed incendiary devices at his home. The source said the men had even burnt his car.
Bakker said that in an oral statement, Johnson confessed to investigators that he had been part of a plan to kill the miner who had been shot 21 times. On the night in question, gunmen swept into Rudder’s yard and riddled him and his family with bullets.
According to reports, Rudder died on the spot and he was lying on top of his baby trying to shield him. He was shot in his abdomen, right elbow, ankle, groin and foot.
Johnson is being represented by defence attorney Rachael Bakker.
Johnson had previously been charged with the murder of Kaneville resident Brendon Charles in 2009. It was alleged that between April 7 and April 8, 2009, at Kaneville, Johnson murdered Charles, whose body was discovered in a yard several streets away from his Lot 914 Fourth Field, Kaneville home.
In October, 2013, Johnson was freed in the High Court by Justice James Bovell-Drakes after a no-case submission was upheld in his favour.
