Police officer among four testify as murder trial of Henry cousins begins

A female police officer was among four individuals who testified on Thursday during the commencement of the trial into the murders of Joel Henry and Isaiah Henry.

Anil Sancharra, known as “Dan Pole” and “Rasta,” of D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice, and Vinod Gopaul, nicknamed “Magga,” of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, are facing charges in connection with the murders.

Before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall in the Berbice High Court, Sancharra and Gopaul pleaded not guilty to charges that, between September 5 and 6, 2020, they murdered Joel and Isaiah in Berbice. Their pleas cleared the way for the case to proceed to trial before a 12-member jury.

During her testimony, Lyris Fullerton, a cousin of the victims, confirmed that she was informed Joel and Isaiah were missing. Along with Isaiah’s mother, she searched several areas, including Number 2 and Number 3 Villages, West Coast Berbice.

Fullerton described finding the bodies the following day in a backdam on a tractor. Isaiah’s hands were above his head, with his jersey pulled over his face, while Joel was lying nearby.

Under cross-examination by Attorney Dr. Dexter Todd, Fullerton clarified that she never saw Joel and Isaiah together in the backdam, noting that Isaiah frequently went into the area.

Winston Henry, another cousin of Joel and Isaiah, told the court that he identified Isaiah’s body at the Memorial Garden Funeral Parlor. He said he was present at the parlor on the day the post-mortem examination was conducted but did not witness the procedure since only one person was allowed to do so.

Indeejeet Singh, a cash crop farmer, testified that on September 5, between 18:00 and 18:30 hrs, he left his Number 3 Village home with three others to traverse the backdam, located about two miles from his residence.

Singh said he saw Isaiah and another male with a bicycle near the train line but observed no visible injuries on either of them. He added that the area contained mango and coconut trees.

He said he did not see Joel and Isaiah the following day and was later questioned by police before being released.

Woman Police Sergeant Nelson White, attached to the Central Police Station CID, testified that on September 6, 2020, she and other officers searched the Cotton Tree Backdam after receiving information about the discovery of the bodies. She said the area contained coconut trees and rice fields.

White detailed how she found Joel’s body face down in bushes, clad in a green jersey with white stripes and black long pants. She observed a wound to his neck, injuries to his chin and left hand, and swelling to his face. Photographs were taken, and mangoes were found nearby.

She then discovered Isaiah’s body about 30 feet away, surrounded by bushes and coconut trees. He was clad in brown three-quarter pants, with his face covered by a jersey, lying with his feet facing south and his head north. Injuries were observed to the right side of his face and neck, and photographs were also taken.

The bodies were removed using a makeshift stretcher, and about 500 yards from the scene, a bag containing white gloves was recovered from a coconut walk.

On September 7, 2020, White and other officers revisited the scene to collect blood samples. Approximately 22 photographs of the victims and the locations were shown during the trial.

The court adjourned after White’s testimony. The trial is scheduled to resume on Friday.

A total of 41 witnesses, including 15 police officers and Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh, are expected to testify as the case continues.

The prosecution is being led by Attorney Marisa Edwards. Attorney-at-law Chandra Sohan is representing Gopaul, while Dr. Dexter Todd and Associates is representing Sancharra.

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