High Court trial set to begin in murder of schoolteacher Kescia Branche

Fifty-one-year–old Matthew Munroe has pleaded not guilty to the 2017 brutal murder of 22-year-old Secondary School Teacher Kescia Branche.

Branche, a teacher of the Richard Ishmael Secondary School, died at the Georgetown Public Hospital on November 7, 2017. She was found unconscious at the corner of Louisa Row and Princes Street, Georgetown on November 5, 2017.

Munroe, formerly of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was arraigned before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Georgetown High Court for the capital offence of murder.

He pleaded not guilty to indictment and a jury was empanelled to hear the case come August 26.

Munroe is represented by Attorney-at-law Dexter Todd and Dexter Smartt while the state was represented by prosecutor Lisa Cave.

Police had impounded Munroe’s car at the Brickdam Police Station. Munroe, a taxi driver, was reportedly the same person who Branche last had telephone contact with.

News Room had reported that the man fled the country the morning after Branche was found unconscious.

A Post-Mortem examination performed on the remains of the Teacher found that she died as a result of blunt trauma to the head and haemorrhage. The injuries were consistent with her either jumping or being pushed from a moving vehicle.