Sophia man remanded to prison for murder of GDF Lieutenant

25-year-old Joshua Parris, was on Thursday, remanded to prison for the murder of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lieutenant, Rondel Douglas, who was shot dead earlier this month while fighting off carjackers at Cul-de-Sac Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown.  

Parris of Block ‘Y’ Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was arrested by the Police on Monday. He was arraigned before acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on June 7, he murdered Lieutenant Douglas, 32, a father of one, of Bagotville, West Bank Demerara, (WBD), during the course/furtherance of a robbery.

Parris, who has been described as a “known character”, was remanded to prison.

The Guyana Police Force had issued wanted bulletins for Parris and another man, Jamie Ghanie in connection with the gunning down of the Joint Services ranks.

Ghanie is still at large and anyone with information on his whereabouts is being asked to contact the Police. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

A man hired Lieutenant Douglas at the Aladdin Taxi Service located at La Grange, WBD where he had been working as a part-time hire car driver for less than two weeks.

He was at the base when a “neatly dressed man” arrived and indicated that he wanted to hire him to take him to Cul-de-Sac Street, North Ruimveldt.  

Lieutenant Douglas’ vehicle did not have a radio set, so the dispatcher would have only been able to keep track of him by cell phone.

CCTV footage showed that the Lieutenant was attacked by a man who was waiting at the end of Cul-de-Sac Street, while the ‘customer’ remained in the car.

Lieutenant Douglas managed to fight off the carjacker and exit the car, but was then shot twice. He collapsed near his car, while the killers drove off with his vehicle.

Police recovered Lieutenant Douglas’ Toyota Fielder Wagon, with its license plates missing, in Stone Avenue, Campbellville, Georgetown, shortly after he was shot dead.

This publication understands that Lieutenant Douglas’ killers had planned to sell his vehicle but none of their buyers who specialised in stripping stolen vehicles wanted it after learning of its connection to his murder. 

The buyers were reportedly willing to pay $700,000 for the stolen vehicle.

Lieutenant Douglas enlisted in the GDF on Feb 15, 2012, and was a graduate of the Standard Officer Course 44.

Another man, Randy Clairmont Wrights, 37, is currently in Police custody for the GDF rank’s murder. 

He was arrested by the Police on Wednesday.