BREAKING: ‘Two Colours’ freed of beautician’s murder after 8 years in remand

After spending eight years on remand and facing three trials, a man accused of murdering an East Coast Demerara (ECD) beautician was freed on Tuesday following a not guilty verdict by 12 jurors.

The man, Lennox Wayne, called “Two Colours”, had been on trial over the last two weeks before Demerara High Court Judge Jo Ann Barlow for the July 10, 2014 murder of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD) Cosmetologist, 19-year-old Ashmini Hariram.

After retiring for deliberations around noon Tuesday, the jury emerged a little over two hours later, announcing that they had unanimously found Wayne not guilty of the crime.

Justice Barlow, in brief remarks, advised Wayne to turn a new leaf.

“Whatever classes you have been exposed to, my advice to you is that when you get out, put those training to good use. It is my hope that you are advised to stay out of trouble,” she told him.

The Judge also advised one of Wayne’s lawyers, Ronald Daniels, to speak to his client “man to man” and give him advice that would serve him well for his reintegration into society.

When the verdict was announced, Wayne breathed a sigh of relief, thanking the Judge and jury.

Media reports are that the woman called ‘Monisha Hariram’ and her cousin were walking along Lusignan Public Road, ECD, on the day in question, when they saw a burgundy motor car parked along the road.

A few minutes later, Hariram was shot in the mouth and relieved of her cellular phone. It was reported that another man admitted to being the getaway driver while Wayne reportedly gave Police a caution statement detailing his role in the crime.

In March 2021, the getaway driver, Melroy Doris, 35, who had been jointly charged with Wayne for the teenager’s murder, opted to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to five years imprisonment by another Judge, Brassington Reynolds.

During Wayne’s trial, the Judge admitted into evidence a caution statement in which he told the Police that Doris, whom he had known for about one month prior to the killing, offered him a “wuk” to kill Hariram and promised to pay him $2.5M which he never received.

The motive for the killing, however, was not contained therein.

This was Wayne’s third trial for Hariram’s murder; his first two trials ended in hung juries.

Wayne’s legal team was led by Attorney-at-Law Ronald Daniels, while Senior State Counsel Lisa Cave led the prosecution’s case.