HGP Nightly News – A chilling account of the alleged killing of cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry was laid before the Berbice High Court on Tuesday, as key witness Akash Singh took the stand and described what he said unfolded on September 5, 2020.
Singh, now 26, testified in the ongoing murder trial of Anil Sanchara, 39, called “Magga,” of D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice, and Vinood Gopaul, 35, called “Dan Pole” and “Rasta,” of Yakasari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne.
The two accused are being represented by attorney Dexter Todd and Associates, while State Prosecutor Marisa Edwards led Singh’s evidence before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall.
The murders of the Henry cousins sent shockwaves across Guyana in 2020 and triggered national outrage.
Singh, who was also apprehended in connection with the matter and remains in police custody, told the court that Sanchara is his brother. He said he knew Gopaul through Sanchara, claiming the two men were involved in planting marijuana.
According to Singh, Gopaul and Sanchara had told him in 2020 about plans to tend to a marijuana farm at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, and invited him to join them. He said the three later went to the area in August 2020, set up camp, and planted the crop.
Singh testified that when they returned about three weeks later, the plants had been destroyed with gramoxone. He said this angered Gopaul and Sanchara, who allegedly declared that “somebody got to pay for it.”
The court then heard Singh’s account of the morning of September 5, 2020. He said he woke up to find Gopaul and Sanchara speaking with the Henry cousins about what had happened to the farm.
Singh claimed the boys were laughing during the exchange, which further angered Gopaul. He alleged that Gopaul then used a cutlass to chop the taller of the two cousins to the neck.
He further testified that Sanchara then attacked the other cousin.
“It was nuff chops,” Singh told the court.
In one of the most disturbing parts of his testimony, Singh said he was ordered to take a cutlass and mark an “X” on one of the boys’ faces. He also claimed the two accused later tied the boys to horses and dragged them from the farm.
Singh told the court that after the incident, he and the two accused washed themselves and got rid of their bloodstained clothing.
He said that when he returned home to Yakasari, he told his sister what had happened, but she did not take him seriously. Shortly after, he claimed, he was forced to leave with the two men after being threatened that he would suffer the same fate as the Henry boys if he refused.
Singh also testified that he and Gopaul were arrested on January 9, 2021. He said he cooperated with police, took investigators to the scene, and confessed what had taken place.
During cross-examination, defence attorney Dexter Todd questioned Singh on several critical areas of his testimony. Singh confirmed that he had been charged with murder and had spent six years in prison, but when pressed on several matters, he repeatedly said he could not recall.
His testimony was given on the fourth day of witness hearings in the high-profile trial.
The matter is expected to continue on Wednesday before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall.
