The long-awaited trial into the murders of cousins Joel and Isaiah Henry officially opened today in the Berbice High Court, nearly six years after the killings shocked the nation and triggered days of unrest along the West Coast of Berbice.
Two men are on trial for the deaths of the teenagers, whose bodies were discovered in the backlands at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, in September 2020.
On trial are Vinod Gopaul, called “Magga,” and Anil Sancharra, also known as “Dan Pole” or “Rasta.” Both men are accused of murdering the teenagers.
The trial commenced before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, with attorney-at-law Dr Dexter Todd representing both accused, while State Counsel Marisa Edwards appears for the prosecution.
A 12-member jury, made up of six men and six women, was empanelled to hear the matter.
In opening the State’s case to the jury, Edwards said the two cousins left home on September 5, 2020, and failed to return, prompting relatives and residents to form a search party.
She told the jury that the State will seek to prove that the two accused used cutlasses to chop the teenagers before dumping their bodies in the backlands where they were later found.
The State is expected to call 45 witnesses during the proceedings, including 16 police officers, three close family members of the deceased teenagers, 20 persons from the surrounding communities, five additional witnesses, and a pathologist.
Joel and Isaiah Henry had disappeared after leaving home for a fishing trip. Their mutilated bodies were later found in the Number Three Village backlands.
Post-mortem examinations found that the cousins died from haemorrhage and shock due to multiple incised wounds.
The gruesome killings triggered widespread outrage across Guyana and led to days of protests and road blockages along the West Coast of Berbice as residents demanded justice for the teenagers.
JUDICIAL HISTORY
Initially, three men had been charged in connection with the murders—Gopaul, Sancharra, and Akash Singh, called “Monkey.” However, it was later reported that Singh became a key prosecution witness during the Preliminary Inquiry.
In 2021, charges against Gopaul and Sancharra were temporarily dismissed before they were later reinstated and the matter proceeded through the courts.
The prosecution is expected to begin calling witnesses when the matter resumes on Thursday. Now, nearly six years after the killings shocked the nation, the matter is before a judge and jury, with the State preparing to begin leading evidence in what is expected to be a closely followed High Court trial.
