Murder at Sunset Hotel: Police hunting husband, relatives say victim was abused for years

Police are on the hunt for Sadesh ‘Vishal’ Appadu, an ex-soldier of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and a former prison officer, who is wanted for questioning in relation to the brutal murder of his 32-year-old wife, Romona Lall.

Lall’s battered and wounded body was discovered in a room at the Sunset Hotel in Kitty, Georgetown on Sunday, November 12. Appadu, the woman’s partner for 10 years and the father to two of her three children is the main suspect in the crime, as CCTV cameras captured when he checked into the hotel with her and when he left alone.

They resided at Kilcoy/Chesney, Corentyne, Berbice. Lall’s relatives described him as an abuser who beat on her during their 10-year marriage.

One of her cousins, Ashley Ramlall, told the News Room that Lall would usually go to her mother’s Essequibo house with the children whenever she was abused. She said Appadu would usually visit Essequibo and plead with her to return home.

And last week, it was no different. Lall was reportedly physically abused and went to Essequibo with the children to seek refuge.

However, Appadu visited the Essequibo home with the intention of reconciling the relationship and at some point, Lall agreed to give him another chance.

They reportedly left without the children to uplift a car – a Toyota Fielder Wagon (HD 3071) in Georgetown, after which they were slated to return to Essequibo with the car to pick up the children and then return to Berbice.

“He come back to go and collect a car to go for the children and they end up and miss the boat, when they miss the boat…I don’t know why they end up at that hotel because it has a lot of hotel this side…,” Ramlall said.

After Lall’s body was discovered in the hotel room, relatives contacted Appadu via telephone and he denied committing the act.

“He answered the phone and he said is not he; well we didn’t know anything at the time, we didn’t see the video yet, we didn’t have anything to prove to know that is he. When we get to know is he, we send he message, he not replying and answering his phone,” the cousin said.

The News Room understands that the suspect crossed the Berbice Bridge after leaving the hotel and it is believed that he may have escaped to Suriname.

Police Headquarters had reported that the couple checked into the hotel on November 10.

The receptionist found Lall lying motionless on the floor, naked. Police said a broken Guinness bottle and a 592 beer bottle were seen on the floor. What appeared to be blood stains were observed on the bed and walls of the room.

Emergency medical technicians responded to the scene, and the victim was pronounced dead. The woman’s body was examined for marks of violence, and one stab wound was seen to the left side of the chest with a broken Guinness bottle head was seen in the wound.

There were also abrasions to the lower abdomen and three stab wounds to her back.