A taxi driver has admitted to killing a Canadian national in a case that shocked the local business community seven years ago.
Twenty-six-year-old Anthony Ragnauth, also known as “Cookie,” appeared before Chief Justice (ag) Navindra Singh at the High Court in Demerara last week, where he entered a guilty plea to the charge of murder. Ragnauth, of Lot 72 Middle Road, East La Penitence, Georgetown, was represented by attorney Latchmie Rahamat.
The prosecution team included State Counsel Christopher Belfield, assisted by State Counsels Simran Gajraj and Geneva Wills.
Sentencing has been scheduled for November 19.
The case stems from the death of 42-year-old Neil Whyte, a Canadian national and Supply Chain Manager at Guyana Goldfields Inc., who was killed at his Thomas Street, North Cummingsburg apartment in Georgetown on May 21, 2018.
Court records revealed that Ragnauth and Whyte had become acquainted approximately five months before the incident, meeting while Ragnauth was working as a taxi driver. The men reportedly communicated via text messages and occasionally socialised together, including visits to local bars.
On the night of the murder, Whyte invited Ragnauth to his apartment, where both consumed alcohol. Security footage captured the two arriving around 10:00 p.m. and Ragnauth leaving approximately an hour and 45 minutes later, carrying a black haversack. Shortly afterward, a security officer discovered Whyte’s body on his bed, naked and covered in blood, and immediately alerted the police.
Ragnauth was approached by police two days later while driving and initially denied involvement. After being shown video evidence linking him to the crime, he admitted his actions, reportedly telling investigators, “Officer, I will tell you everything, and I did not mean to kill him.”
In his caution statement, Ragnauth claimed that Whyte had consented to being restrained during a sexual encounter. He said he briefly left to retrieve a knife from the kitchen and then stabbed Whyte repeatedly. Following the attack, Ragnauth took CAN $260, (GY$25,000), and two mobile phones from the apartment, discarding other valuables at the seawall.
The post-mortem examination revealed Whyte had sustained 17 stab wounds to his neck, shoulders, arms, and hands, severing major blood vessels and penetrating the trachea and larynx. The official cause of death was listed as hemorrhage and shock from multiple stab wounds.
