Tuschen man found guilty of murdering businesswoman, sons

Abishai Caesar was on Friday convicted for the September 2012 murders of Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara, liquor store owner, Jennifer Persaud, and her two young sons.

Caesar, 35, formerly of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, was on trial before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a 12-member jury at the Demerara High Court.

The jury, after almost two hours, returned with the unanimous verdict against Caesar, convicting him of the three counts of murder. Caesar, after hearing the verdict, maintained his innocence and denied committing the crime.

The judge ordered that a probation report is prepared for Caesar and deferred sentencing until June 16, 2021.

Caesar was represented by attorney-at-law, Rachael Bakker, while the State was represented by prosecutor Lisa Cave.

The three charges against Caesar alleged that between September 21-22, 2012, at Sea View Anna Catherina, he murdered 41-year-old Jennifer Persaud called ‘Jenny’ and her two children, Afridi Bacchus, 6, and Jadon Ernest, 17 months.

According to reports, the house was broken into during a robbery and the woman and her two children were killed. At the time, Caesar was the woman’s neighbour.

Government Pathologist, Dr. V. Brijmohan, on September 24, 2012, gave the cause of their deaths as haemorrhage and shock due to stab wounds.

In April 2016, investigators were able to arrest Caesar after his reputed wife went to the police and told them that he murdered Persaud and her sons during a home invasion.

In 2019, the case was first tried before Justice Brassington Reynolds, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict which resulted in a retrial.