Judge Frees Police Rank in Quindon Bacchus Murder

November 6 2025

Police Lance Corporal Kristoff De Nobrega has been cleared of the murder charge filed against him over the 2022 fatal shooting of Quindon Bacchus, following a ruling by the High Court that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence.

Delivering his decision on Thursday, Justice Gino Persaud upheld a no-case submission made by the defence, ruling that the evidence presented was inadequate to sustain the murder charge.

Consequently, the judge directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty, effectively acquitting the 24-year-old policeman.

De Nobrega, who was represented by attorney George Thomas, had been accused of fatally shooting 23-year-old Bacchus, a father of one from Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD), during a police operation at Haslington New Scheme, ECD on June 10, 2022.

The prosecution’s case was presented by State Counsel Praneta Seeraj and State Counsel Padma Dubraj.

According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), ranks were acting on intelligence when they approached Bacchus, who was allegedly attempting to sell a firearm to an undercover officer.

During the encounter, Bacchus reportedly fired at the officer, prompting a return of fire that resulted in his fatal injuries.

He later died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) while receiving treatment.

A magistrate had previously committed De Nobrega to stand trial in the High Court after finding a prima facie case against him during a preliminary inquiry.

Separately, in 2024, Justice Nigel Niles ordered the State to pay $24 million in compensation to Bacchus’s mother for his unlawful killing.

The ruling came after the State accepted liability in the civil proceedings.

Meanwhile, police officers Lance Corporal Thurston Simon and Cadet Officer Dameion McLennon are facing charges of attempting to obstruct justice by providing false information to investigators probing the fatal shooting.