Police on Friday arrested a second suspect in the murder of Anthony Cort, the 10-year-old who was fatally shot during a robbery in Sophia more than two months ago and he has purportedly admitted to this involvement in the crime and implicated his teenage accomplice as the person who fired the fatal shot.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum yesterday confirmed that the suspect, a 29-year-old resident of Sophia, was arrested at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).
He was escorted to Georgetown for questioning.
The matter is being investigated by ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department’s Major Crimes Unit.
Cort, of Lot 612 Packet Corner, ‘C’ Field, Sophia, was shot and killed on Thursday, March 11, 2021, after armed bandits invaded his neighbour’s home, where he and his mother was visiting.
The police, in a statement, had said that Cort and his mother, Denise McPherson, were at the Lot 614 Packet Corner home of businesswoman Monette Famey when two men wearing face masks and armed with handguns stormed in.
At the time of the invasion, Cort was in the upper flat of the house along with Famey’s son, while Famey herself, her aunt, Ena Skerette, who is a pensioner and McPherson were in the bottom flat.
Days after the shooting, a 16-year-old was charged with the murder and remanded to prison.
Sunday Stabroek was reliably informed that during an interview, the newly held suspect provided investigators with a detailed description of what happened before, during and after the crime.
A police source said that the suspect related that on the day in question, his teen accomplice visited his home and they developed the plan to rob Famey.
The teen reportedly claimed that he was told that Famey had millions worth in cash and jewellery.
Thereafter, the suspect said the teen brought three of his friends and he allegedly collected a gun from one of them to carry out the robbery.
According to the police source, the suspect further stated that part of the plan was for one of the teen’s friends to pose as a customer while the other two would be lookouts as he and his accomplice would go into the house and demand a “ransom”.
The suspect said that they all agreed to the plan.
On the day in question, the suspect said, he and his accomplice went into the shop and held the three women who were present at gunpoint.
The suspect, who claimed that he was unarmed, also reportedly told the police that he relieved the women of their valuables, which included two gold rings, a silver chain, and $18,000 cash
At that point, he further claimed that his accomplice went into the adjoining house after which he heard a loud explosion, which sounded like a gunshot.
As a result, the suspect said he rushed to the upper flat of the house, where he saw Cort lying on the ground motionless, while his accomplice was standing over the child.
The suspect told investigators that he then ran out of the house, picked up his bicycle, which he “stashed” before the robbery to escape and he went to School Bridge in Sophia, where his accomplice met him.
While there, he added, his accomplice admitted to him that he had shot the “child”.
The suspect noted that he and his accomplice divided the money and jewellery. He said his accomplice told him that he would be returning the gun to the friend who he borrowed it from.
After that day, the suspect told that police he never saw his accomplice. He said he then travelled to the West Coast of Demerara (WCD), where he “stayed low” until his arrest.
