Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 01, 2015 News
A Kaneville, East Bank Demerara resident and his wife are now subjects of a murder investigation after the man stabbed and killed his wife’s cousin, who they are claiming attempted to burglarize their home early yesterday morning.
Ramatar, also known as Jason Edwards, was stabbed to his neck and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
His attacker was identified as his cousin-in-law, was taken into custody along with his wife, hours after Ramatar was murdered.
The incident took place a few corners away from where Ramatar lived.
According to the police, at about 03:00 hours yesterday, Ramatar, a miner of Lot 723 Third Field, Kaneville, East Bank Demerara (EBD), along with four other men, is reported to have attempted to break into a home at Kaneville.
The police said that during the burglary, Ramatar was stabbed to his throat and a male resident of the home is assisting the police with the investigations.
The dead man’s immediate family is adamant, however, that he was murdered during a confrontation at the detained couple’s residence, where there was a party.
Two individuals claiming to be eyewitnesses alleged that Ramatar was at the party when he became involved in an argument with a man over the purchase of alcohol.
A scuffle broke out and the man stabbed Ramatar to the neck. Afterwards, the assailant reportedly told other guests to tell the police that the 24-year-old was slain while attempting to break into the house.
When police arrived at the scene, they reportedly found Ramatar lying in a crouched position in the eastern side of yard, with injuries to his throat and lips. They also observed that a lock at the southern door on the house appeared to have been tampered with.
When Kaieteur News visited the scene yesterday afternoon, most of the neighbours were at a lost as to what could have transpired. They said the cousins were earlier eating and imbibing together at a small party held for the assailant’s wife.
Kaieteur News understands that there were about six persons, including the home owner, his wife, children and another person, in the house at the time of the alleged attempted burglary.
Jimmy Thomas, who was also at the house at the time, told this publication that they were celebrating a birthday but later retired to bed. He said a few hours later, about five persons invaded the property.
According to him, they cut the electrical wire leading to the property and the telephone lines. He claimed too that two window meshes had been removed.
Thomas told Kaieteur News, however, that they were aroused by a commotion outside. By the time he and the homeowner got out, most of the gang had scurried away. He said that the homeowner managed to corner Ramatar as he attempted to scale the fence.
“Me brother-in-law catch one of them and bore him straight to he throat and kill he,” Thomas added. Thomas said that they later realised the deceased was his cousin.
He said they had not been able to see the faces of the other men, since the house was plunged into darkness. “Is rob he come to rob this place. Look at the windows,” he said, pointing to the window mesh that lay on the ground.
Thomas was sure that the homeowner was at the time uncertain of whom it was that he attacked. He said that he and Ramatar had just returned from the interior but “He does follow bad company. They influence he to come and rob, they probably think we got the load.”
Meanwhile the dead man’s aunt, Felice Edwards maintained that it was an act of coldblooded murder and not a burglary attempt as her other relatives had claimed. She said that earlier that evening, she had gone to the party.
“It was a lil family gathering and the men were drinking,” Edwards said, adding that she subsequently left and went home. She stated that later that morning she received a call from her niece who claimed that Ramatar had cut the electricity lines, scaled their fence and tried to break into her house.
“She said you better come and move him right now. I want you come and move him from here right now because them boys beat him up bad. She never tell me them stab him to his throat.”
Despite the downpour at the time, she went to her the couple’s house. “When I reach there, her husband come to the gate with a brown handle knife in he hand. He brother-in-law come and he had a black handle knife in his hand and I know they murder my nephew.”
As she explained how Ramatar’s grief-stricken reputed wife and the rest of the family are, Edwards said “My nephew is not that person. My nephew don’t thief. He is not, never, ever.” She said that her daughter who left the party at 01:30 hours reported that Ramatar was already in a drunken state but despite efforts to take him home, he did not want to leave the party.
“You know what the neighbours them say? The neighbours them say they had on the music loud and then there was screaming in the house, big screaming, fighting and cussing and so. Then they turn off the music, that is when it done happen. That is why I saying they murdered my nephew.”
She believes that Ramatar was killed in the house and then “they dragged him and put him out there like he is a bandit.” The woman is contending that her nephew was drunk at the time and could not have attempted any robbery.
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