‘ISWE’ to stand High Court trial for murder of girlfriend

Shaquawn Alleyne, also known as ‘ISWE’, is set to stand trial for the murder of his fiancée, Shonette Dover, after appearing before Magistrate Ms. Rushelle Liverpool at the Linden Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. The court ruled that there was enough evidence to commit him to trial at the next available sittings of the Demerara Assizes.

Alleyne was arrested on January 19, 2024, at Moleson Creek, Corentyne, Berbice, in connection with the murder of Dover, which occurred between April 3 and April 30, 2021, at Canvas City, Wismar, Linden. The murder investigation revealed that Dover, aged 20, was fatally shot and later buried in a shallow grave in Alleyne’s backyard.

During his confession, made shortly after his arrest, Alleyne claimed the shooting was accidental, stating that he was cleaning the gun when it fired and struck Dover in the forehead. He further implicated Dover’s teenage sister, who was charged as an accessory, claiming she devised the plan to bury Dover’s body in the backyard.

Alleyne also implicated two other men from Linden. One man allegedly purchased the gun used in the murder from Alleyne before he fled to Suriname, and after learning the gun might have been linked to the murder, the man allegedly sold it to another individual. Both men were arrested in the days following the discovery of Dover’s body and remain in police custody. Investigators are still working to locate the murder weapon, a .38 pistol.

The investigation into Dover’s murder has been ongoing since she was reported missing on April 3, 2021. Her body was discovered on April 30, 2021, in a sitting position in the shallow grave in Alleyne’s backyard. A post-mortem confirmed that Dover died from a gunshot wound to the head.