Corentyne man accused of killing teen girl freed due to insufficient evidence

A Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) man who was charged back in November 2020 with the murder of a 16-year-old girl was discharged last week by Magistrate Kevon Bess who presides at the Matthews Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

Wickroy Mitchell called “Shatta” was accused of murdering the girl between November 14 and 15, 2020 at Coanna Backdam Five Star, North West District.

However, following a preliminary inquiry (PI), Magistrate Bess discharged the murder accused due to insufficient evidence.

Mitchell’s Attorney-at-Law Leslie Sobers said that the prosecution’s case was based almost entirely on an alleged confession in a caution statement.

Sobers explained: “The court found that the caution statement was not obtained voluntarily after a voir dire was conducted at the end of which the caution statement was declared inadmissible. There were several other material inconsistencies in the prosecution’s evidence before the court. The main eyewitness, the mother of the 16-year-old [girl], was not convincing in her testimony and contradicted herself. The testimony of the prosecution’s sole eyewitness proved to be manifestly unreliable under cross- examination.”

Police Headquarters, in a statement, said that on November 14, 2020, the teen and her mother went to a shop, purchased alcohol and began imbibing there in the company of a male and other persons. Shortly after, they became intoxicated and left the shop in the company of the male after buying rice and another bottle of rum.

At around 07:30 hours the following day, the girl’s body was found behind the house she shared with her mother. A report was lodged with the Matthews Ridge Police Station. The girl’s cause of death was given as manual strangulation.