Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 05, 2020 News
Two years after the gruesome discovery of a 17-year-old receptionist’s body, in a cemetery at Triumph, East Coast Demerara (ECD) Magistrate Alicia George yesterday commenced hearing an inquest into the teen’s death.
Rainella Benfield, of 99 Canterbury Walk, Beterverwagting East Coast Demerara was discovered on December 11, 2017, lying on her back with her hands on her stomach. She was clad in a white jersey and blue jeans, which was pulled to her knees.
It is believed that Benfield might have been struck in the head with a heavy object which disfigured her face exposing the flesh. Between December 2017 and July 2018, police had arrested several persons who were later released without being charged.
Four witnesses yesterday testified in the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before a three-member jury. Prosecutor Tyndall called the first witness, 19-year-old Josiah Bristol, an employee of Qualfon.
In Bristol’s testimony he told the court on December 9, 2017, around 15:30hrs was the last time he saw Benfield alive. Bristol said that he and the young lady left work together and were on the road waiting on a bus when she received a phone call.
He added they board a bus and while on their way to town, Benfield took out her phone and started messaging someone. While he’s unsure as to whom she was messaging, he suspected it was the girl in the front seat.
According to Bristol, every time Benfield sent a message, the girl in the front seat would turn around make eye contact with her, and then they both would laugh. Bristol told the court that when the bus arrived at Parade Street, Kingston, he exited the bus, and that was the last time he spoke to and saw Benfield.
Bristol said that on December 11, 2017, he received a phone call indicating that he was wanted for questioning at the Beterverwagting Police Station. It was at the Station that he learnt that Benfield was dead. Bristol said he was placed in custody for a few days.
The second person to testify was Cove Bowman, 28, a friend of the deceased teen’s boyfriend [Mark Edwards]. Bowman told the court that he, along with another friend [Ruel], was at the 44 bus park when Benfield approached them.
Bowman shared that he and Ruel were imbibing while Benfield was with them. He said Benfield told him that Mark (Edwards) didn’t like when she is at the park liming and it would cause a problem if he found out she was doing so.
According to Bowman, he then reassured her that he would contact Mark and explain to him that she was with him at the park. Around 20:00hrs, Bowman, Benfield and Ruel left the park in route 44 mini bus name “Split in the middle” to go home.
Bowman said that he gave Benfield his phone number in the bus and five minutes into the journey he fell asleep. He then mentioned that Benfield touched him to wake him up to tell him that she was almost home.
Benfield was the first person to exit the bus at the cemetery near Beterverwagting Police Station when he told her to message him when she got home. However, he received a phone call on December 11, 2017 that she was missing and later that day he received another phone call from Mark Edwards, that Benfield was found dead in the cemetery.
After Bowman’s testimony, the prosecutor called on 56-year-old Rainsford Benfield, the father of the deceased. He said the last time he saw his daughter alive was the morning of December 9, 2017 around 7:15hrs when he reached home from work and she was preparing to leave for work.
He said no concerns were raised when his daughter didn’t return home that Saturday night since she told them that she would spend the night at one of her cousins in Plaisance, East Coast Demerara. However, when she failed to come home the following day or make contact them, they immediately tried to reach her.
They called her phone but it went to voicemail. The father said that his wife contacted their daughter’s cousin who told them that the teen had called her Saturday night and told her that she was in a bus going home. Contact was then made with her boyfriend, Mark Edwards, who told them that he hadn’t heard from or seen Rainella.
Rainsford added that he and his wife had planned to make a missing person report the Monday, but before they could’ve made the report, a group of policemen visited their home around 07:15hrs. One of the officers told him that he needed to come with them to see if he could identify a body that was found in the cemetery.
He said that when the police removed the cloth from the body he recognised his daughter even though the left side of her face was bashed in.
After Rainford Benfield’s testimony, Shamar Kingston was the last to testify.
Kingston told the court that he and Rainella Benfield went to school together. He added that on December 11, 2017, while he was on his way home he saw a commotion, so he went to check it out, and that was when he found out that Benfield was dead.
He said that on December 9, 2017 he was at a friend’s house that lives about 100ft from the cemetery. Kingston said that Saturday night, he and his friends were using the internet and during the period he was there, neither he nor any of his friends left, or heard any screaming coming from the cemetery.
Kingston then said that he couldn’t recall seeing Rainella passing that night, but mentioned that he and his friends were arrested but later released from custody.
After each testimony by the witnesses the members of the jury then asked a series of questions. The inquest into the death of Rainella Benfield was adjourned to March 12, for continuation.
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