Missing Accident Victim: Car owner confesses; was lying through his teeth

Killer Driver Daniel Melbourne who dumped his accident victim into a trench 

By Michael Jordan

After fabricating an alibi, inventing a distant cousin, and insisting that the police had framed him, 53-year-old Daniel Melbourne finally gave detectives what they and the family of Reonol Williams waited for over two weeks, that is to hear the truth about what happened to the accident victim.

Melbourne even showed up at the studios of BIG Smith News Watch on June 02, 2022 (last week Thursday) upon our invitation to clear his name. On that date, Melbourn wasted close to two hours of our time debating why he does not want to do the interview and stated that he was so advised by his lawyer. On that day, he maintained that his ‘fictitious’ cousin had taken the car while he was away in the interior.

It should be noted that Melbourne also on that date provided photographs of him in an interior location on the date and time the accident took place. What is now interesting about those photographs is that they had time stamps, which suggested that Melbourne had the help of someone to fabricate his alibi and even went as far as to edit in dates into old photographs which were also presented to the Criminal Investigations Department. In essence, there might have been accomplices who assisted in dumping an accident victim.

Today, grilled by crack sleuths from the Major Crimes Unit, Melbourne gave a detailed and graphic account of how he struck down Williams on the Enmore, East Coast Demerara public road, reassured onlookers he was taking the victim to hospital—then drove a mile away with Williams in the back of his Fielder Wagon, and dumped him in a trench at Coldingen, East Coast Demerara.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said Melbourne is claiming that Williams “was motionless in his vehicle.” And what if a postmortem (to be done today) reveals that there is water in Williams’ lungs?” we asked the crime, and he responded, “That would indicate that he was still alive and it would be a clear case of murder,” Blanhum said.

Yesterday ranks from the Major Crimes Unit re-arrested Melbourne who was initially placed on $300 000 station bail after he was first picked up for questioning. The Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara Disc Jockey was then taken to CID Headquarters, Eve Leary where eventually, he cracked during intense questioning.  “We were able to debunk his alibi, and the many inconsistencies were pointed out to him,” Blanhum said.

Melbourne then led the detectives to a shallow trench, located near a koker at Coldingen, East Coast Demerara, where he pointed ranks to the partly submerged skeletal remains. “It was a gruesome crime,” Blanhum said even as he confirmed that a relative identified the remains.

CONFESSION
The Crime Chief told BIG Smith News Watch that “the suspect has confessed that he was the driver of the car when it struck down Williams.
He admitted that the initial information that he gave suggesting that he was in the interior was false.”

Williams had told this newscast that he was “playing music” at a Region Seven location. He had also made that claim during a police identification parade, in which he was picked out from seven others and which was poorly conducted. In addition, he had suggested that a cousin, known as ‘Boy’, had driven the vehicle and struck down Williams.

Blanhum said during his confession, Melbourne “claimed that when he struck down Williams, he placed him in his vehicle, and as he was driving, he observed that Williams was motionless. “Therefore, he stopped his vehicle at a bridge at Coldingen, and disposed of the
body in the trench.”

“He then informed his mother that his vehicle was missing. He also told her to report that the said vehicle was missing,
and he then went home.”

The Crime Chief noted that the Major Crimes Unit only became involved in the probe Monday, June 6, 2022, that is fourteen days after the incident.

“I wish to commend the ranks of the Major Crimes Unit for the diligence they displayed during the investigation and for showing an appreciation for the urgency with which it needed to be conducted.” “But in the prevailing circumstances, it is unfortunate that Mr. Reonol Williams is now deceased,” he said.