Akash ‘Money’ Singh, 26, appeared calm in court on Monday as he pleaded not guilty to the murders of brothers Joel and Isaiah Henry, but guilty to two counts of manslaughter.
Singh, of Zeeburg, East Bank Essequibo, appeared before Justice Gino Persaud, where the State formally presented the facts surrounding the deaths of the two teenagers.
The prosecution said Joel Henry, 18, and Isaiah Henry, 16, both of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice, left home on September 5, 2020, and went to the Number Three Village backdam. They did not return, and their bodies were later discovered in the area.
According to State Prosecutor Marisa Edwards, Singh was at a marijuana camp in the Cotton Tree Backdam with co-offenders Vinod Gopaul and Anil Sanichara when he was awakened by people talking.
Singh allegedly observed Gopaul and Sanichara with two boys of African descent, who were later identified as Joel and Isaiah.
The court heard that one of the co-offenders said the marijuana farm had been sprayed down, after which the two teenagers began laughing. When one attempted to stand, he was allegedly chopped in the neck and other parts of his body, while the other was chopped when he attempted to run.
The prosecution said Singh was then threatened by his co-offenders and told that he would suffer the same fate if he did not assist them.
Singh allegedly took a cutlass and chopped one of the teenagers to the head before marking an X on the head of one of the victims at the instruction of a co-offender.
The court further heard that after the victims stopped moving, Singh assisted his co-offenders in tying their bodies onto horses. The men subsequently left the camp with the bodies.
Edwards said that, on the instructions of his co-offenders, Singh later burned the camp and disposed of the cutlasses and clothing in a koker.
Post-mortem examinations determined that both teenagers died from haemorrhage and shock due to multiple incised wounds, the court heard.
Singh was subsequently arrested and gave an audio-video interview under caution in which he detailed his alleged involvement. He also took investigators to the scene and recounted what had occurred.
Singh was represented by attorney-at-law Horatio Edmondson.
After accepting Singh’s guilty pleas to the two manslaughter charges, Justice Persaud requested several reports and statements, including victim impact statements, aggravating factors, a probation report, a prison conduct report and a psychiatric report.
The judge adjourned the matter to November 25 for sentencing.
Source: NEW ROOMS SITE
