The Corentyne man accused of murdering a 7-year-old boy back in 2012, will have to face another trial after a mixed jury in the Berbice Assizes failed to arrive at a unanimous verdict.
Fazal ‘Mongoose’ Mohamed, 23, also called ‘Boy’ of Number 67 Village, Corentyne, Berbice was on trial for the murder of Saheed Muknauth called ‘Buddy’ of Number 68 Squatting Area. However, after hours of deliberation, the 12-member jury told Justice Navindra Singh that they
could come to a unanimous decision on whether Mohamed was guilty
or not. It was explained that nine jurors found the accused guilty of the offence while three found him not guilty.
When asked by Justice Singh if they needed clarification on any aspect of the case in order to assist them in arriving at a verdict, the members of the jury replied in the negative. Justice Singh then told the court that because of the jury’s decision, the case will have to be retried before another judge and jury.
Mohammed was accused of murdering the child sometime around August 20, 2012 behind a rice mill in Number 68 Village.
The child’s body was found in a pond behind some bushes by a search party of residents two days after he went missing. His face was damaged and there were cuts about his body.
During investigations, Mohammed had reportedly confessed to the crime and his statement was admitted into evidence during the trial.
When his trial began, Mohammed had pleaded guilty to the lesser count manslaughter, but he later changed his plea to not guilty and went ahead with the trial.
Attorney-at-law Raymond Ali represented the accused whilst the state was represented by Prosecutor Renita Singh.
