Three Men Acquitted of 2020 Robbery-Murder in West Coast Berbice

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In a significant legal development, three men were acquitted on Thursday of charges related to a robbery-murder that took place in Experiment, West Coast Berbice, in 2020. Royston “Sakie/Killa” Dowden, Ivan Lindo, and Devon McCalmon walked out of the Berbice High Court as a 12-member jury found that the State had failed to prove the murder charges against them.

The defendants had been held in custody since the incident, which involved the brutal killing of 49-year-old Mohamed Haniff, who was beaten and chopped in his home during what was initially reported as a robbery.

During the trial, State Prosecutor Cicela Corbin presented video evidence purportedly showing the accused approaching Haniff’s residence on the night of the crime. Prosecutor Corbin alleged that the men entered the home armed, demanded cash, and ultimately killed Haniff when he refused to comply.

Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh testified that the cause of death was shock and hemorrhage from severe injuries consistent with a beating and chopping. The prosecution heavily relied on the testimony of Bibi Zarifa Haniff, the victim’s wife, who stated that three men had entered their home while they were upstairs, demanding money and assaulting her husband.

However, the defense, led by attorneys Kevin Morgan, Horatio Edmonson, and Chandra Sohan, raised significant contradictions during cross-examination. Sohan highlighted that Bibi Zarifa Haniff had purchased Valium on the day of the incident, suggesting she may have administered it to her husband before the attack. The defense further pointed out that no items were missing from the home; police later recovered the cash and jewelry that the prosecution claimed were targeted.

The discrepancies continued, as the three accused provided differing accounts about the events of that night. One suspect, identified as Darwin, claimed he found Haniff already injured when he entered the house. This inconsistency further weakened the prosecution’s case.

Investigators had previously questioned Bibi Zarifa Haniff due to suspicions that she might have orchestrated the attack, citing financial problems that allegedly led her to pawn the family home without her husband’s knowledge. However, she was released on bail and never charged due to lack of evidence.

After approximately two hours of deliberation, the jury returned with unanimous not-guilty verdicts for all three men. Facing the possibility of life imprisonment or even a death sentence, Dowden, Lindo, and McCalmon were released immediately, marking a dramatic conclusion to a case that had captivated the community for over three years.

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