Two Found Guilty for Murdering Cheese Vendor
February 6 2025 – Akeem Morris and Roy Sandiford have been found guilty in the 2018 murder of Bourda Market vendor Troy Ramalho, following a 10-day trial which ended last Friday at the Demerara High Court.
The two men, who were involved in the fatal shooting of the 45-year-old vendor, will be sentenced on March 5, 2025, by Justice Navindra Singh.
Morris, 32, a miner from Sandy Bob Street, Kitty, Georgetown, and Sandiford, 39, of Section “A” Sophia, Greater Georgetown, had both denied the charges brought against them.
However, prosecutors Muntaz Ali and Christopher Belfield successfully presented a case that the two men were part of a gang that ambushed Ramalho on the night of August 15, 2018.
The attack occurred near Bourda Market around 11:00 p.m. as Ramalho, known for selling cheese and eggs outside “Rambarran’s” on Robb Street, resisted an armed robbery.
During the confrontation, Ramalho was shot and later died from his injuries despite efforts from bystanders to assist him. The perpetrators managed to flee the scene in a waiting car.
Defence lawyers Kiswana Jefford, representing Morris and Dexter Todd, representing Sandiford argued their clients’ innocence, but the jury found the evidence against them compelling.
A third individual, Nya John, was discharged for the offence. The getaway car involved in the crime was driven by George Paton, who in 2022 pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter in relation to Ramalho’s death and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Morris and Sandiford will return to court next month for sentencing, where they face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence for their roles in the murder.
