Sylvie Williams, the sister of Reonol Williams who was struck down by a driver and dumped inside a trench, is pleased with the work of law enforcement authorities in capturing the accused and placing him before the court.
But Sylvie remains distraught over the death of her brother and is upset at the actions of the driver, 53-year-old Daniel Melbourne who, after telling eyewitnesses that he was taking an injured Williams to the Georgetown Public Hospital, dumped him inside a trench at Coldingen, East Coast Demerara in the wee hours of May 23, 2022.
Melbourne, a musician of Middle Street, Ann’s Grove, was on Friday remanded to prison on six charges, including causing the death of Williams by dangerous driving.
“I am pleased with the actions of the police because I have recovered my brother’s body. That was what I wanted,” Sylvie told reporters outside the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.
Sylvie said that she is upset with the actions of Melbourne but is satisfied that the police cracked the case and recovered her brother’s body.
“He should have been human enough to carry my brother to the hospital because he [Williams] has a right to the hospital care. He should’ve been alive…It was brutal act and it happened; I cannot say, I am out of words,” Sylvie told the press.
As Williams’ family desperately searched for him for 16 days, Melbourne maintained his innocence and told the police that he was working in the interior at the time of the accident and that it was a distant cousin who was driving the car.
“It is not my place to condemn him…
“What I condemn is the act…God will forgive him. It is not me…but for now, for his actions, whatever law enforcement agency has taken, that is what he is going to bare,” the crying sister said.
Sylvie recalled the sleepless nights the family spent during the search for her brother’s body but she is also thinking about what Melbourne’s mother is going through.
“If anything happened to my son, I would feel it. I know how the parent is feeling but what could I do? It’s out of my hands now, it’s in the hands of the law enforcement agency.”
In the initial stages of the investigation, Melbourne was released on station bail; it was only after the family spoke out and the story gained media attention that the case was handed over to the Major Crimes Department and Melbourne was re-arrested on June 7.
Within hours of his arrest, he led detectives to where the body was dumped.
The autopsy revealed that Williams died as a result of multiple injuries due to a motor vehicle accident.
