Youth freed of murder charge after three years on remand

After serving three years on remand for the offence of murder, 26-year-old Jamal Forde walked out of the Demerara High Court a free man on Tuesday.

The charge against Forde of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown was discharged after High Court Judge Justice Sandel Kissoon upheld a no-case submission made by his lawyers Ronald Burch-Smith and Keoma Griffith.

The young man was on trial before a 12-member jury for the murder of 24-year-old Shawn Anys of ‘D’ Field, Sophia who was gunned down during a robbery on May 1, 2015.

The defence, in its no-case submission, argued that the Prosecution failed to show how Forde was placed on an identification parade a year after the offence was committed.

The lawyers further argued that the State’s main witness in the case did not identify Forde as the killer and changed his story during the trial.

The Judge agreed with the submissions and directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

The victim operated a grocery shop in front of his ‘D’ Field Sophia house and on the day in question, he was ambushed by two armed men who demanded his money and other valuables.

The gunmen shot the young grocer and escaped with $40,000 in cash along with jewellery.

Anys was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Forde was arrested in 2016.