Youth accused of burning pensioner to death charged with murder

A 22-year-old labourer was on Friday remanded to prison for the murder of a 72-year-old man, who was burnt alive at the newly-built Huaxin Supermarket at Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD), last week.

Marco Seudatt of Fourth Street, Foulis, ECD, appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the capital offence, which alleged that on February 22, he murdered Mathura Etwaru, a pensioner.

Magistrate Azore adjourned the case to May 18, 2021. An employee attached to the supermarket made the gruesome discovery of Etwaru’s body after reporting for work at around 08:20h.  Etwaru was found lying on the northern side of the compound with severe burns about the body.

Police, upon reviewing CCTV cameras at the Supermarket and nearby buildings, revealed that Etwaru and Seudatt had an argument at around 02:46h.

Seudatt was seen holding and pushing Etwaru to the ground; he then picked up empty cardboard boxes, lit them on fire and placed them on Etwaru at around 03:12h.

Seudatt rode away from the scene on his bicycle. A post mortem revealed that Etwaru died from severe burns about his body and compression to the neck. The police later arrested Seudatt and he allegedly confessed to the crime.