Kitty Man Cleared of Murder Charge
October 17 2024- Kitty, Georgetown resident, 24-year-old Mark D’Oliveira was acquitted of murder on Tuesday after a jury cleared him of the charge related to the 2021 stabbing death of Kwal Dindon.
The verdict, delivered in the High Court of Demerara, came after days of trial proceedings before Justice Peter Hugh.
Dead: Kwal Dindon
D’Oliveira aka ‘Buck Boy’, 24, had been indicted for the murder of Dindon called ‘Coolie Boy’, a 23- year-old, following an altercation that occurred in June 2021 at a birthday party on Sandy Babb Street, Kitty.
Represented by defence attorney Kiswana Jefford, D’Oliveira maintained throughout the trial that he had acted in self-defence. The prosecution was led by State Counsel Abiola Lowe.
During the trial, key evidence included D’Oliveira’s caution statement, in which he asserted that he had been defending himself from an attack by Dindon and his friends.
This statement, along with an oral utterance made to the investigating officer, was admitted into evidence. The defence argued that D’Oliveira was forced to defend himself after being pursued and assaulted by Dindon, who was armed with a piece of wood.
As the trial progressed, Jefford’s cross-examination of the prosecution’s witnesses revealed significant gaps in the state’s case.
Justice Hugh ruled that the unlawfulness of D’Oliveira’s actions had not been established.
With the prosecution’s case unable to substantiate the charge of murder, the judge determined that there was insufficient evidence to proceed further.
As a result, D’Oliveira was not called upon to mount a defence, and the jury was instructed to return a formal not guilty verdict.
He was promptly acquitted and walked free after spending over two years on remand.
The incident in question occurred at a birthday party attended by both Dindon and D’Oliveira.
According to police reports, the two men got into an argument, which quickly escalated into a physical altercation. Dindon allegedly pushed D’Oliveira to the ground, then armed himself with a piece of wood and, along with his friends, pursued D’Oliveira as he fled.
Upon catching up with him, Dindon and his friends reportedly attacked D’Oliveira, who retaliated by pulling a knife and stabbing Dindon in the back.
Dindon collapsed after fleeing into a nearby yard and later died at the Georgetown Public Hospital following emergency surgery on June 21, 2021.
Initially charged with murder in 2021, D’Oliveira had been awaiting trial while on remand. With his acquittal, he has been freed of all charges related to the fatal stabbing.
