Man finally arrested for 2007 murder

After managing to elude law enforcement officers for more than 16 years, a 44-year-old man wanted for murder is now in Police custody.

Micheal Orlando Carrica called ‘Tall man’ has been accused of killing gold miner, Oswald Joris called ‘Buns’ of First Avenue, Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni), during an argument in February 2007.

Police Headquarters said that Carrica departed Guyana illegally through Moleson Creek and made his way to Suriname. Later, the man then went to French Guiana where he stayed and worked for a number of years.

Eventually, Police said the suspect made his way to France where he become employed as a labourer with a construction company.

Police, however, said the suspect was apprehended by French law enforcement authorities sometime ago and he was found with a stolen cell phone.

As such, he was arrested, taken into custody and later charged for the stealing the phone. Carrica admitted to that crime and was sentenced to nine years imprisonment in France.

After serving his sentence, Police further noted that the man was released and placed in French immigration custody on June 21, 2023 after which he was deported to Guyana.

He arrived in Guyana on Friday and is in custody at the local Criminal Investigations Department (CID), where he is being questioned about the gold miner’s murder. He is likely to be charged soon.

According to reports, the suspect and Joris were known to each other. The suspect reportedly operated a shop in the Arimu area where Joris worked as a gold miner.

Joris was brutally chopped to death in February 2007 after a row over a woman turned violent in the Papa Road, Arimu Backdam, Cuyuni River.

Reports are that Joris and the suspect had an altercation earlier in the day. Later the same day, Joris was imbibing with a woman at a shop when he was confronted by the suspect who allegedly chopped him about this body before escaping.

Joris died before receiving medical attention at the Bartica Hospital.