A man who reportedly burnt his wife and two children in their Four Miles Squatting Area, Bartica house on December 12, 2020, was today slapped with three counts of murder.
36-year-old Kenford Downer, also known as “Tallman,” was hauled before Magistrate Crystal Lambert in the Bartica Magistrate’s Court, which was held at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court.
He was not required to plead to the offence, which stated that on December 12, 2020, he murdered Carolina Kennedy, 38, and her two daughters, Marianna Downer, 5, and Gabriella Kennedy, 3, during the course or furtherance of arson.
The court heard that at about 21:30 hrs, an unknown caller contacted the Bartica Police Station and reported a fire at Four Miles Squatting Area.
As a result, lawmen, along with fire tenders, were dispatched to the scene and, upon arrival, saw a small wooden structure completely engulfed in flames.
When the fire was extinguished, what appeared to be the charred remains of three (3) human beings were found in the south eastern corner of the house, police said.
The remains were subsequently removed and taken to the Bartica Hospital Mortuary. A search was launched for the suspect, and he was found in the bushes in close proximity to the house.
Magistrate Lambert, after listening to the facts, remanded Downer to prison until January 27, 2021.
