John Caesar, who is currently serving a life sentence for attempted murder, has been found not guilty of killing Linden businessman, Romel Gomes called ‘Eddy’ in 2018.
Caesar, 40, formerly of East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, Georgetown was on trial before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Demerara High Court.
A 12-member jury, on Wednesday, found Caesar not guilty of the capital offence after deliberating for two hours.
Caesar had pleaded not guilty to killing Gomes on March 12, 2018, in the county of Demerara.
Gomes, the father of one of Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden, operated a grocery shop in front of his house. He was found dead in his shop shortly after he was heard arguing with two males.
Police had said a loud explosion was heard and the suspects fled the scene with the victim’s motor car, PVV 2057.
Gomes was discovered in a pool of blood with his hands bound in front and a bandana tied around his mouth. There was a gunshot on the right temple, a small laceration on top of the head and another lacerated wound to the neck.
A post-mortem later gave his cause of death as a ‘gunshot wound to the head.’
His car was later recovered intact at One Mile Wismar on March 13, 2018.
Caesar is currently serving a life sentence for the July 2009 attempted murder of Dhanwantie Pulchand who had operated a store at City Mall, Georgetown.
He was sentenced in October 2018 by Justice Sandil Kissoon.
Last year, Caesar was sentenced to four years and fined $2.5 million for trafficking 6.6 pounds of cannabis into Mazaruni Prison. He was busted with the drugs in his cell at the Mazaruni Prison.
