Construction worker remanded for murder of US-based Guyanese businessman

Joel Harding, a 28-year-old construction worker and resident of Coomacka Mines, Upper Demerara River, was remanded to prison after being charged with the murder of US-based Guyanese Courtney Evans.

Harding was arrested on 1 September 2025, a day after the crime was committed.

On Monday, he appeared at the Linden Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Ruschell Liverpool. The charge was read to him and he was not required to plead. The matter was adjourned until 20 October 2025 for disclosure.

On 31 August, 49-year-old Courtney Evans, a businessman of New York and Coomacka Mines, was fatally wounded and three others were injured during an altercation.

Police Headquarters said the incident occurred at Coomacka Mines Beach, where Evans was socialising with his brother, Tyrone Evans, and a friend.

Three others were also injured in the clash – Tyrone Evans, 47, a truck driver, who suffered a wound to his forehead; Harding, who received injuries to his left arm and right elbow; and Evan Herman, 28, who sustained two head wounds and underwent surgery.

Reports indicate that the group encountered four men and a woman, unknown to them, who were also drinking at the location.

According to the police, a confrontation began when the woman allegedly directed a derogatory remark towards Tyrone. The exchange escalated into a physical altercation between the two groups. Shortly after, the woman and her companions reportedly left the scene in a white minibus.

Courtney sustained multiple injuries, including wounds to his lower back, head, and elbow. He was rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex but succumbed while receiving treatment.