Final Accused Freed in Munir Couple Killing
September 13 2025
Almost 10 years after the fiery deaths of elderly rice farmers Mohamed Munir, 75, and his wife, Jamilla, 70, the last man standing trial for the crime has been acquitted, bringing the high-profile case to an end.
Sanjay George, who spent nearly nine years behind bars, was recently found not guilty of manslaughter by a unanimous jury before Justice Simone Morris at the Demerara High Court.
His acquittal means that all four men once charged in connection with the 2016 double murder have now been freed.
The Munirs died on April 17, 2016, when bandits invaded their heavily grilled two-storey home at Good Hope, East Bank Essequibo.
The intruders, reportedly searching for cash and valuables, set a sofa ablaze before tossing a gas cylinder into the fire, triggering a violent explosion.
Neighbours later recalled hearing the couple’s desperate cries as flames consumed the house. Their charred remains were recovered after the blaze was extinguished.
Investigators had alleged that a six-man gang was behind the attack. George was initially indicted for murder but was acquitted on that charge in May 2025 before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow.
The jury, however, could not reach a verdict on the lesser count of manslaughter, resulting in a retrial before Justice Morris.
By then, George’s three co-accused—Jason Howard, Shamadeen Mohammed, and Joel Blair—had already been cleared in 2023.
Justice Barlow had directed jurors to return not-guilty verdicts after finding no evidence linking trio to the crime and raising concerns about injuries they reportedly sustained in police custody.
George was not tried with them, as he had earlier been deemed unfit for trial due to mental health issues.
During his defence, attorney-at-law Kiswana Jefford of Hughes, Fields and Stoby argued that George was beaten by police and coerced into signing a fabricated confession.
Psychiatrist Dr. Meenawattie Rajkumar also testified regarding his mental condition.
Arrested in December 2016, George remained incarcerated until April 2025, when he was granted bail.
His acquittal now closes one of Guyana’s most disturbing murder cases, which gripped national attention for nearly a decade.
