‘Demon’ among 4 charged for gold dealer’s murder

…Doctor, others charged for accessory to murder

Two weeks after businessman Deon Stoll was shot and killed during an attempted robbery in front of El Dorado Trading Inc on Da Silva Street in Newtown, Kitty, Georgetown, eight persons were hauled before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Four were charged with murder, while the others were charged with accessory to murder.
Those charged for murder are 38-year-old Shane Morgan called “Demon”, a graphic artist of Lot 45 East La Penitence, Georgetown; Wayne St Hill, 38, of Lot 27 Dowling Street Kitty, Georgetown and Roberto Sankar, 28, the owner of Island Barber, of Lot 6 Pigeon Island, East Coast Demarara, and Steve Rollox, 32, a taxi driver of 55 Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara.
Charged for accessory to murder were: Odessa St Hill, 37, a graphic artist of Campbellville, Georgetown; Alonzo De Santos, 33, a medical doctor and a lieutenant in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) of Lot 136 Prospect, East Bank Demerara; Duncan Vanderville, 36, a mechanic of B Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown; and Keith Mckenzie, 56, a taxi driver of Lot 103 East LaPenitence, Georgetown.
The eight persons all appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. Shane Morgan, Wayne St Hill, Roberto Sankar and Steve Rollox were not required to plead to the indictable charge, which alleged that on October 14, 2019, at Da Silva Street, Kitty, Georgetown, they murdered businessman Deon Stoll called “Mow”, in the furtherance of a robbery.
The courtroom was filled with Stoll’s relatives, who turned up to have a glimpse of the persons involved in the businessman’s death.
Morgan and Wayne St Hill were represented by Attorney-at-Law George Thomas, who told the court that his client, Morgan, has a puncture wound that the police are claiming is a gunshot wound. He said the wound is in the late stages of healing.
Defence Counsel Latchmie Rahamat, who is representing Odessa St Hill, stated that Police had promised to forgo charges against her client if she agreed to be a State witness.
Attorney Eusil Anderson, who represented De Santos, the doctor, told the court that his client is a medical doctor and second lieutenant in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
The attorney, in a bail application, informed the court that his client’s wife is seven months pregnant, adding that his client is willing to adhere to any bail conditions. He added that his client is ready to save lives on the battlefield and in the hospital.
Attorney-at-Law Melville Duke stated that Mckenzie is a driver at Pretty Posse Taxi Service. He said that his client was approached by Morgan to be taken to Berbice. The lawyer informed the court that CCTV footage at the taxi service can confirm that his client is innocent, since he was merely transporting Morgan as a passenger.
However, Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers objected to bail being granted to the eight accused on the grounds of the serious nature of the allegation and the penalty the charges attract.
In his submissions to the court, the prosecutor said that Dr De Santos, whose birthday was on Tuesday, confessed to assisting Morgan during a video interview. The Prosecutor further stated that the doctor removed Morgan from the hospital, where he went after he was shot, and took him to a relative’s home to be was treated.
Reports are that the businessman had arrived at the establishment at about 10:20h on that fateful October 14 day and as he was about to exit the car, two gunmen pounced on him and opened fire on him and his driver, Clayton Powley.
A review of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed that Stoll was sitting in the front passenger seat of motorcar PPP 6727, being driven by Powley. A white Toyota motorcar with tinted windows, which had appeared to be trailing Stoll’s vehicle, also stopped across the road from the business place seconds later. Stoll had earlier visited a business place on Sheriff Street, from where he had collected an undisclosed sum of cash.
Two gunmen, donning handkerchiefs to conceal their faces, jumped out of the car that had stopped behind PPP 6727 and rushed towards Stoll’s car. One gunman opened the door at the driver’s side and a scuffle began between him and Powley, who soon exited the vehicle to better defend himself. Powley received a gunshot wound to his arm in the process, while his assailant rushed back to the waiting white Toyota motorcar.
The other gunman rushed to the front seat passenger door and opened it before attempting to snatch something from Stoll. The businessman, who also appeared to have been putting up a fight from inside of the vehicle, was shot to his stomach. His shooter was unable to grab anything from the car. As he attempted to run away, the injured Stoll returned fire with his handgun. The CCTV footage showed that the gunman was shot twice by Stoll. He stumbled both times before escaping in the awaiting motorcar, which sped away.
The CCTV footage showed Stoll clutching his stomach as he fell to the ground. Security personnel attached to El Dorado Trading, along with residents of the neighbourhood, rushed to Stoll and Powley’s aid. They managed to transport the injured men to the Georgetown Public Hospital for emergency treatment. However, Stoll succumbed at the hospital.
Magistrate McLennan, after listening to the facts, remanded the eight accused to prison. The case will continue on November 15, 2019.