In very rear circumstances would a Judge resort to imposing the death sentence for persons convicted of murder. However, this afternoon, Justice Sandil Kissoon said he had no other alternative but to impose a sentence of death by hanging on 29-year-old Imran Ramsaywack, who was found guilty by a jury for the March 2015, murder of US-based Guyanese Samantha Benjamin.
Ramsaywack who was represented by lawyer, Ravindra Mohabir, had initially denied murdering the woman when his trial commenced at the High Court in Demerara. According to the indictment presented by State Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs and Mandel Moore, Ramsaywack murdered Benjamin between March 25 and March 26, 2015, at Buxton, East Coast Demerara.
Ramsaywack, also known as “Coolie Boy” and “Kevin Jones”, murdered Benjamin at her home at Middle Walk, Buxton. He then dismembered the woman’s body which was later dumped in the Atlantic Ocean along the Annandale foreshore, East Coast Demerara. When her remains were pulled from the water, the woman’s head, arms and legs were missing. The body parts were later discovered by the police.
Justice Kissoon, in handing down the death sentence told Ramsaywack that he was unfit to dwell among members of society. The dead woman’s relatives in the courtroom exclaimed, “Justice has been served.”
Police witness, Deoraj Ramdeholl had testified that Ramsaywack told him a detailed story of how he committed the heinous crime. The police witness told the court that around 07:30hrs on March 26, 2015, he visited the Annandale foreshore where he found the body of a woman stuck between two rocks. The body, he said, which was clad in a blue bra and pink skirt had no head, arms and legs.
He added that upon examining the body there were chop wounds on the abdomen. He said that he subsequently retrieved a head, two arms and legs from the sea. Acting on information, Ramdeholl testified that on April 03, 2015, he, along with a party of policemen visited a house located at Lot 103, Middle Walk Buxton, East Coast Demerara, where they contacted Ramsaywack, who at the time, gave his name as “Kevin Jones.” According to the police rank, Ramsaywack told him that he and Benjamin resided at the property and that he last saw her on March 27, 2015, at around 10hrs.
Ramdeholl told the jury that he searched the north-western bedroom of the home and found what appeared to be blood on a mirror and beam. He said that thereafter, he put a murder allegation to Ramsaywack who was arrested. Subsequently, he said he searched a fowl pen and found a cutlass, after which he escorted Ramsaywack to the Vigilance Police Station. There, he added, Ramsaywack was shown the cutlass and admitted that he and two other men used it to chop off Benjamin’s head, arms and legs.
The police witness recounted that the murder accused was taken back to the house where he pointed out a yellow wheel barrow which was used to transport the woman’s body to the foreshore. The police rank also told the court that Ramsaywack took him to an area at the foreshore where they chopped off the woman’s head. He added that the remains were transported to Memorial Gardens.
