Attorney, Richard Layne, 35, was on Thursday night found dead in a locked car outside his D’Urban Backlands residence and CCTV footage will be pivotal in elucidating what happened as there are gaps in the varying accounts.
The police yesterday said that they are investigating the murder of the attorney who resided at Lot 183 Century Palm Gardens. The killing occurred between 9.30 pm and 10.13 pm at the said address.
Enquiries revealed that Layne lived at the above address with his friend Tony Sulker, a 29-year-old Police Sergeant.
According to Layne’s cousin, Michael Harden, a 30-year-old from Eccles, East Bank Demerara, at about 7 pm on Wednesday he went to Layne’s home and they were hanging out, and at the time Sulker was at home.
He said while there, Layne had an urge for Starbucks coffee, and as a result, they both left in Harden’s motor car, PHH 4943, for Starbucks at MovieTowne, East Coast Demerara.
After purchasing the coffee, they returned to Layne’s home at about 7.15 pm. At that time, Sulker was asleep in his room on the upper flat of the house. It would appear that the time of return given by the police is incorrect as if the cousin visited Layne at 7 pm they could not have returned at 7.15 pm from MovieTowne
According to the police, Harden said he and his cousin hung out on the veranda until about 8.17 pm when he left for his residence in Eccles. Prior to leaving, he said he made sure that Layne locked both gates to the house and yard, which have automatic locks. He also observed Layne’s car, a Jaguar with number plate PYY 2850, parked in the garage.
There is no account Ain the police report for what transpired between 8.17 pm and 10 pm.
Meanwhile, according to Sulker, on the date in question, at about 10 pm, he got up from his bed to use the washroom and then went to the kitchen. While in the kitchen, he looked through a window, and saw Layne’s car parked on the bridge of the premises. Layne was sitting in the driver seat in a ‘slumped position’ and was motionless.
On seeing this, he immediately ran outside and attempted to open the car doors, but they were all locked. He then called Layne’s 66-year-old mother, who lives in Campbellville, and on her arrival, they both tried opening the car doors but were unsuccessful. Sulker said Layne’s mother then instructed him to break the driver-side door glass, which he did using a hammer. They then observed that Layne appeared to be bleeding from a wound to his neck. As a result, they called an ambulance and also contacted the police.
The ambulance service responded and Layne was pronounced dead by a doctor on duty at the GPHC.
The scene was processed and photographed by detectives. The deceased was seen clad in grey short pants, a grey and black jersey and brown slippers. Two wounds were observed on Layne’s neck. The body was escorted to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, awaiting a post-mortem examination.
Several persons in the area were questioned, and CCTV cameras were seen in the area, which will be viewed. Investigations are in progress.
Petition
In October 2012, Layne, then 22 was admitted to the bar after his petition was heard by two judges.
He was one of the three Guyanese students to make the Hugh Wooding Law School honours roll at that year’s graduation. He was admitted to the bar by Justice Roxane George and also sitting in on the hearing was Justice Dawn Gregory.
His petition was presented by late judge James Patterson, who was his grandfather, and Senior Counsel Donald Trotman.
Layne, who was a Queen’s College old boy, and who graduated from the University of Guyana law programme with a distinction, receiving the Ram & Mc Rae prize for being the second best graduating law student, said a new crop of young lawyers will change the face of the profession which had come in for criticisms. He said these lawyers will challenge the status quo and they would operate within the confines of moral and ethical principles as opposed to strictly political and financial considerations.
