Lusignan massacre trial … Witness says accused admitted killing residents

July 17, 2013, By KNews, Filed Under News, Source

Defence Attorney Nigel Hughes took to task a prosecution witness who alleged that his client on trial for the Lusignan massacre admitted being part of a gun-toting crew that slaughtered 11 persons in the early morning hours of January 26, 2008.

Derwin Wright, aged 30, was yesterday’s fourth witness on the stand. He appeared before Justice Navindra Singh at the Supreme Court.

Mark Royden Williams, called ‘Smallie’ and James Anthony Hyles, known as ‘Sally’ are facing murder charges. The two are being represented by attorneys Roger Yearwood and Nigel Hughes respectively.

Wright was led in his evidence-in-chief by Senior State Prosecutor Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin. He told the court that during the events on the East Coast of Demerara, he was living at Company Road, Buxton. He knew Williams, the number one accused, since 2004, as he was in a relationship with his sister.

Wright became acquainted with Hyles, the number two accused, through now deceased Rondell Rawlins called ‘Fine Man.’ At the time, he said he hung out at the Friendship Backdam, with Rawlins and others.

Murder accused: James Anthony Hyles, known as ‘Sally’ (left) and Mark Royden Williams, called ‘Smallie’

On the morning of January 26 about 06:30 hours, Wright said Hyles visited his home in Buxton. The man told him to turn on the television after he was led inside the house. Hyles would not say why, Wright said, only that the television should be turned on.

The court heard that the television was turned to channel 11. Bodies lay on the ground and a strap line read that ‘11 killed in Lusignan’.

Wright allegedly asked Hyles whether he was at Lusignan and he said yes. He further claimed that Hyles told him if he (Wright) was there, “He would have gotten to kill some people”. That led Wright to ask Hyles whether he had killed anyone at Lusignan and he replied “yes”, before laughing.

Wright further alleged that Hyles told him, “All the time black people dying, so what if some ****** dead”. The accused, he said, then went downstairs to wash off the mud that covered his feet.

When Hughes started his questions, he first wanted to establish Wright’s location for the last six months. The accused could not answer since he said he is in protective custody. It was also established that the man is in police custody for the murder of Kumar Singh, called ‘Mango man’, killed on August 30, 2007. Wright said he was charged with murder on February 12, 2008.

This would have been after the Lusignan incident. From that point, several questions put to the accused were met with silence or ‘I cannot recall’.

These pertained especially to questions relating to a plea bargain. Wright denied making a deal with the police to give up the Lusignan gunmen for a chance at his own freedom.

He fumbled over questions relating to evidence given to the police, and when this was done, Wright told the court that when arrested for the mango trader’s death, it was his first brush with the law, yet he could not remember it. He could not remember how many statements he gave to the police and where he did it.

He said he was not afraid when he was charged with the murder of ‘Mango man’, but fumbled when asked the same question about the police implicating him in the Lusignan murders.

Wright accepted and then denied telling officers that he feared for his life. He said he didn’t not know how and why he ended up in protective custody since he never mentioned the Lusignan incident when arrested for ‘Mango man’s’ murder. He then admitted telling the police about Lusignan before giving a confession statement in the ‘Mango man’ matter. This came after he had said earlier that the police were the ones to ask him about Lusignan, and that was after giving the confession statement.

After some two and a half hours of questioning, Hughes gave the accused his take on what really transpired. Hughes told Wright that he was only trying to save his skin by giving evidence against the accused. He told Wright that he was apprehended for ‘Mango man’s’ murder and because the police knew he ‘rolled’ with ‘Fine man’, they implicated him in the massacre.

That is when he (Wright) gave his story about Hyles. The prosecution declined to re-examine the witness following Hughes’ questions.

Prior to Wright’s testimony, three survivors gave their stories.

Of the three, none was able to identify the shooters from January 26. Geowattie Thomas lost her husband Clarence Thomas and two children, Ron and Vanessa Thomas. She said she lives at Lot 40 Track ‘A’ Lusignan. She lived there with her husband and five children. On the day in question the family had retired to bed early. In the wee hours of the morning, they awoke to what sounded like gunfire. Persons banged on their front door demanding they open up.

The husband went into the living room. The men managed to get in and opened fire, “all over the house”, Mrs. Thomas said. She was still lying in bed silent. When she emanated from the bedroom, she said her husband appeared to be dead on the floor. The weeping mother said when she turned on the lights, her 11-year- old son appeared to be dead on his bed. Next to him was her 12-year-old daughter who also appeared to be dead. The rest of the children started to crawl out of their hiding places; many of them sustained injuries.

Nadir Mohamed said he lost his 22-year-old son, Shazam Mohamed, one month before his 23rd birthday.  Mohamed said he, his son and wife lived at 29 Track ‘A’ Lusignan. On the day in question, he said they were awakened by gunfire. The family was together in the living room when persons started pounding on the front door and demanding that they open up.

They never opened the door and Mohamed said he went into his bedroom. His son went into the kitchen. Mohamed said he sat on his bed. Gunfire was all around the house; a bullet, he said, passed right in front his face, while another passed under the bed, entering through his left leg and exiting through the right leg.

When everything calmed, Mohamed said his son was topless, face down in the kitchen. He had a wound on his back as well as on other parts. The father said he was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was admitted.

And Bibi Baksh also lost her husband during the Lusignan ordeal. She lived at 24 Track ‘A’ Lusignan with her spouse, 52-year-old Shalim Baksh and daughter, 13-year-old Salina Baksh. Around midnight on January 26, gunshots awoke the family. She and her husband were sleeping in the lower flat of the house. They rushed upstairs to find a place to hide when persons started pounding on their door.

The family ended up under the bed, Baksh said. Her husband was pulled from under there. The next thing she heard were gunshots and his body dropped to the floor.  About half an hour later, she and daughter came out from under the bed to find her husband dead on the floor.

The case will continue this morning with a star witness.