Two juveniles have been charged and remanded into custody over the murder of Government Technical Institute (GTI) student Samuel Grannum, which investigators have determined to be the result of a fight between rival groups.
The accused, who are students of a city school, appeared in the Children’s Court in Georgetown on Friday.
They were not required to plead to the indictable murder charge and were remanded to prison. The case was adjourned until October 20.
Police Commander of Region 4A, Simon McBean yesterday told Sunday Stabroek that investigators are pursuing other suspects.
Among the suspects being sought in relation to the crime is Charlestown resident Keron Taylor, also called ‘Laro’. The police had issued a wanted bulletin for Taylor on Tuesday.
“We are still seeking him,” McBean yesterday told Sunday Stabroek.
Asked about the motive, McBean related that the police were able to determine that Grannum’s murder stemmed from a fight between rival groupings.
Reports revealed that 19-year-old Grannum, of Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD), was attacked at about 15:00 hrs on September 30 while he was liming with a friend at the Route 45 bus park on Croal Street.
He succumbed to his injuries the following Monday at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
An autopsy revealed that Grannum died as a result of blunt trauma to the head and a fractured skull.
The dead teen’s aunt, Marcia Grannum had previously explained to this newspaper what she had learnt of the entire ordeal.
“…He was sitting with a friend. According to the friend, he heard something. I don’t know what he heard but he said to my nephew, ‘Grannum run’. So my nephew like he was shock. He didn’t know why he was running. So the friend ran and the guys, they caught up with both of them [Samuel and his friend]. He [the friend] got his [injuries] on his hand and my nephew [Samuel], they surrounded him,” she said.
Marcia had said that she believed that the attack occurred as a result of her nephew being mistaken for someone else.
After Grannum was picked up and initially transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital, the family said that he received no medical attention from staff there. They were told that eight other persons were in front of Grannum and that he had to wait. As a result, he was eventually taken to St Joseph Mercy Hospital, where he immediately received medical treatment.
“When we told the doctor of his injuries, we didn’t know but we told him of the blows he would have received and they start running emergency tests and so on,” Marcia said.
“Then is when we found out that his brain was damaged to some extent. He sustained a fractured skull. His skull was fractured in two places. His ribs I think was broken and his body was severely battered. You could see all the marks how they hit him and he’s very slim mind you….Very little for [a] 19-year-old,” she explained.
