Thirty-two-year-old Collin Hazel was charged with the murder of Donalesa Park and remanded to prison when he appeared before Magistrate Renita Singh at the New Amsterdam Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning.
Hazel was not required to plead; the matter was transferred to the Albion Magistrates’ Court for August 23, 2022.
Hazel, a serving member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), is accused of strangling Park and stuffing her body inside a garbage bag on June 29.
Park, a 29-year-old hairdresser, was captured on CCTV cameras exiting a car and entering the suspect’s yard hours before her body was found opposite his house.
The News Room understands that the video was shown to the suspect, 32-year-old Collin Hazel, and he reportedly identified the house and the yard to be his.
He also confirmed with detectives that it was indeed Park who exited the car.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told the News Room on Saturday last that the soldier hasn’t admitted to strangling the young woman but when confronted with certain evidence, he reportedly said “he will live with the consequences of his action and whatever will be, will be.”
Park of No.2 Village, East Canje Berbice, was found stuffed inside the garbage bag and dumped opposite the soldier’s house along the Courtland Public Road in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on the morning of June 30, hours after she went missing.
Hazel, a Corporal of the Guyana Defence Force, who was stationed at Base Camp Seweyo, Linden/Soesdyke Highway, was identified by family members as Park’s business partner.
Hazel’s sister was reportedly the last person who saw Park alive and she has since told the police that she saw her brother assaulting the woman.
Additionally, an umbrella that Park left her house with was found in the suspect’s bedroom.
Park left her home early on June 29 to braid a client’s hair at Islington, East Bank Berbice but when she showed up at the location, the client was not there.
So the young mother reportedly left and headed to the soldier’s home at Courtland Village.
Sometime around 08:00 hrs the next day, Park’s body was found by relatives who were searching for her.
Park lived with the father of her five-year-old son and was reportedly having an affair with the suspect.
