Berbice engineer, Neil Madramootoo, was yesterday charged with the murder of his partner, Ashmin Mahadeo, and remanded to prison when he appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.
Madramootoo, 29, of Lot 13 Shoe Lane, New Amsterdam, appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court via Zoom, where he faced the charge that on October 1st, at Williamsburg, Corentyne, he murdered Mahadeo.
He was not required to enter a plea and was remanded to prison. He will return to the Albion Magistrate’s Court on November 22nd, for reports.
The accused was represented by attorneys at law, Nigel Hughes and Deena Panday. Hughes yesterday told the court that they were in possession of video footage of the now-deceased saying “certain things.”
Additionally, he claimed, that Mahadeo, who had been critically hospitalized since the incident, had retained the services of an attorney and would have said certain things to the attorney. He said, that he was mentioning this to the court in hopes that the police would speak to the attorney as part of the investigation.
Magistrate Hugh stated that whatever was supposedly mentioned to the attorney would be private and confidential, however, Hughes said that he would not think so as it pertains to the investigation into a crime.
Meanwhile, Mahadeo’s brother, Naresh Mahadeo yesterday maintained that his sister had not sought the services of an attorney and that the family was unaware of this.
As the accused exited the court yesterday after being remanded, his mother, brother and other relatives present told him to smile for the camera as if he was Shah Rukh Khan (a Bollywood star). His relatives also hurled personal and body-shaming insults towards the media operatives present.
They accused the media present of writing “propaganda”, while his mother told him (the accused) to “smile for the teletubbies.”
On the morning of October 1st, Mahadeo, 30, of Lot 25 D Williamsburg, Corentyne, was shot in the back of her neck resulting in the bullet exiting in the lower area of her jaw. Since the incident, the woman had been hospitalized in a critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. However, on Friday last she was transferred back to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where she succumbed on Monday evening just around 7.30 pm.
Her relatives had said that doctors informed them that Mahadeo was paralyzed as a result of the injury.
Meanwhile, according to the police and relatives the post-mortem examination was carried out Tuesday by Government Pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Bridgemohan at the Bailey Funeral Home located in Number 4 Village, West Coast Berbice.
Commander Bacchus in a statement on Tuesday had initially said that, “It must be noted that Doctor Bridgemohan didn’t give a cause of death; he reported to investigators that he have to see the deceased hospital records hence he will give the cause of death within 24 hours.”
Ashmin’s brother, Naresh Mahadeo had said that he was left confused as to why the autopsy results were not issued immediately. He said, the pathologist informed him to “give him a call tomorrow (Wednesday) morning for the results.”
The brother said that he could not bear to wait out the day and decided to phone the pathologist on Tuesday afternoon and was told “You get the media involved in this”, after which the call was ended.
However, around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, Bacchus disclosed that the cause of death was given as septic anaemia shock, lobar pneumonia and gunshot injuries.
Meanwhile, Bacchus had confirmed that a female was also arrested and promised to communicate details of her arrest. On Wednesday he confirmed that the female was released on station bail while an investigation has been launched.
Thumbprint
According to a police source, the female who is also from New Amsterdam was arrested for attempting to pervert the course of justice and is accused of attempting to coerce the now-deceased woman to affix her thumbprint on a document that reportedly intended to clear the accused in the matter.
According to Naresh Mahadeo, last Thursday the female who was in custody, along with a female attorney at law connected to the accused visited his sister at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
“I couldn’t go the day so I call my wife relative in town to just go over and check on her (Ashmin). When the lady go, she meet (female in custody) and the lawyer and she ask them them is who and the girl said she is Ashmin friend and that this is Ashmin lawyer and then them walk out”, he stated.
He added, the relative immediately made contact with him and queried Ashmin as to what the duo were doing there. “I go the Friday and Ashmin tell me how them seh mommy old and na gon able take care of her and them promise what what them can do for her and them try settle the matter with her”, Naresh Mahadeo said.
Further, according to the brother, after Ashmin was transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital he was told that the female who was arrested visited the New Amsterdam Public Hospital with the document on Monday evening before his sister succumbed.
“I can’t tell you if they get her thumbprint or not but she went there with the paper for it. Me hear the paper get that he didn’t shoot her and that I am forcing her to say that”, he said.
Naresh Mahadeo had lashed out at the medical professionals at both hospitals for allowing persons unknown to them to visit their sister given the circumstances surrounding the matter.
“All Ashmin friends them that want go call us and ask permission and we let them go and them just allow these people to go in. She is not Ashmin friend”, he stated.
The disappointed man had said that he believes persons were intervening in the matter and is frustrated at how the entire situation is being handled. “I can’t blame the police because they do as much as they can but every time they do something like people a call and give them next order”, he lamented.
The shooting occurred on Sunday, October, 1st around 7:40 a.m., while Ashmin Mahadeo and her fiancé, who had been together for the last seven years were packing things in a vehicle that the fiancé was using as they had a bridal shower planned for the day.
Naresh Mahadeo, who resides overseas but was visiting for the event, had said that they were asleep in the house when they heard a loud explosion.
“When I came out my bed and I come by the door I see my sister lay down by the gate and blood coming through her mouth and I rushed and go out and my wife turn her over and I run out on the street and when I asked he (the fiancé) he said somebody shot her and he go in the house”, the brother said.
Naresh Mahadeo’s wife, an overseas-based nurse, began doing Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation on the injured woman. According to the brother, after he did not see anyone on the street he also returned to offer assistance to his sister.
The relatives had confirmed that investigators found a firearm in Ashmin Mahadeo’s room in the ceiling.
A police source had confirmed that both Ashmin Mahadeo’s and her fiancé’s phones were located in a haversack allegedly belonging to the fiancé and are in the police’s possession. The relatives had said, that Madramootoo had denied knowing where Ashmin Mahadeo’s phone was shortly after the incident and had suggested that the person who might have shot her had stolen the phone.
Madramootoo was eventually in late October charged with the attempted murder of his fiancée, and placed on $500,000 bail. However, after the woman succumbed the attempted murder charge was withdrawn and the murder charge was instituted yesterday.
