The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advised the police to institute a murder charge against the suspects in the murder of Edith Reuben, the Yarrowkabra housewife whose body was found hanging from a mango tree in her yard one week ago.
This is according to Deputy Director of the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Corporate Communications Unit, Stan Gouveia who said that the suspects: Rueben’s common-law husband and one of his friends are expected to appear in court today.
The body of Reuben, 48, of Lot 1286 Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, was discovered hanging from a mango tree at the back of her yard by her husband last Tuesday morning.
The police had in initially stated that they suspected that Reuben was murdered sometime between 00:30 and 6:00 hrs last Tuesday.
Investigators were able to rule out suicide after an autopsy showed that Reuben died as a result of asphyxiation due to hanging compounded by blunt trauma to the head.
The suspects were subsequently arrested by the police.
During questioning, Gouveia had said that the men confessed to hitting Reuben in her head after they found her in a compromising position with another man.
They also reportedly admitted to hanging Reuben from the mango tree after she became unconscious so as to make her death appear as a suicide.
Initial reports had revealed that Reuben, her husband and several neighbours had been drinking last Monday.
The police had said everyone eventually left for their respective residences except for one man.
According to the police, reports revealed that Reuben was last seen on the veranda alive at 00:30 hrs last Tuesday when her husband and the other man decided to retire to bed.
At 04:00 hrs, the husband claimed the male guest woke the husband up and indicated to him that he was leaving.
Two hours later, he claimed that he woke and made the gruesome discovery of his reputed wife’s motionless body hanging from the mango tree in the yard.
