The murder trial into the brutal killings of West Coast Berbice cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry continued on Tuesday at the Berbice High Court, with the State’s main witness giving detailed and disturbing testimony about the alleged attack and what followed in the Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, backdam.
The witness, Akash Singh, who was previously charged in relation to the murders but later turned State witness, testified before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall that he was present when the two teenagers were allegedly killed in September 2020.
On trial for the murders are Anil Sancharra, also known as “Dan Pole” and “Rasta”, of D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice, and Vinod Gopaul, called “Magga”, of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne.
State Counsel Marisa Edwards is leading the prosecution, while attorney Dr Dexter Todd is appearing for Sancharra and attorney Chandra Sohan is representing Gopaul.
While recounting events to the court, Singh said he had travelled into the Cotton Tree backdam with the two accused men to tend marijuana plants and plant seedlings. He explained that the group spent nights in a makeshift camp built from branches, bushes and old manure bags.
According to Singh, the men later returned to the area and discovered that the marijuana plants had been destroyed, allegedly by pesticide, while nearby crops had also suffered damage.
He testified that while discussing the destruction, two teenage boys approached the camp. Singh said the men confronted the boys about the damaged crops, and one of the teenagers allegedly laughed during the exchange.
The witness told the court that Gopaul then questioned whether the teenagers knew anything about the destroyed plants. Moments later, Singh alleged that one of the boys attempted to flee but was attacked.
“Them start chopping them up… it was plenty chops,” Singh testified, adding that he was unable to count the number of blows inflicted.
He further stated that after the killings, the bodies of the two teenagers were tied onto horses and removed from the area.
Singh told the court that he was instructed to dispose of the cutlasses allegedly used in the attack. He said he threw the weapons, along with blood-stained clothing, into a canal before changing into a different set of clothes he had with him.
The witness also claimed that both accused men threatened to kill him if he ever spoke about the incident.
However, Singh said that after being arrested in January 2021, he disclosed everything to investigators and later accompanied police to the Cotton Tree backdam, where the killings allegedly occurred.
He also testified that after leaving the backdam, he informed his sister about what had happened, but she reportedly did not believe him.
During intense cross-examination by Dr Dexter Todd, Singh denied suggestions that police had secretly removed him from prison and housed him elsewhere. He maintained that he has remained incarcerated for the past six years, although he said he could not recall the exact prison where he was being held.
Singh also confirmed that after cooperating with investigators, he led police officers to the alleged crime scene in the backdam.
Meanwhile, government pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh also took the witness stand and detailed the extensive injuries sustained by the two teenagers.
The court heard that Isaiah Henry suffered multiple chop wounds to the head, neck and face, including injuries severe enough to sever the spine. The pathologist described several deep incised wounds to the forehead, cheekbones, nose and neck.
Dr Singh further testified that Joel Henry sustained numerous chop wounds to his hands, fingers, neck and head. He noted that several of the injuries to the hands appeared to be defensive wounds, suggesting attempts to ward off the attack.
According to the pathologist, Joel Henry also suffered spinal injuries caused by chop wounds to the back of the neck, along with multiple wounds to the head and neck.
The doctor concluded that both teenagers died from haemorrhage and shock resulting from multiple incised wounds caused by a sharp weapon.
Police Sergeant Demond John also testified during Tuesday’s proceedings. He told the court that investigators found bloodstains on leaves, strands of hair and a cigarette butt in the backlands where the bodies were discovered.
The officer said investigators travelled deep into the Cotton Tree backdam, where they observed nearby farms with crops including bananas, coconuts, rice and watermelons.
However, under cross-examination, Sergeant John admitted that investigators did not take measurements to determine the exact location where the bodies were found and that there were no markings indicating the positions of the bodies when police arrived at the scene.
Proceedings in the matter resume today.
Anil Sancharra and Vinod Gopaul in court
