Guyana: Two Found Guilty in Murders of Joel and Isaiah Henry

On Tuesday, Anil Sancharra, also known as “Dan Pole” and “Rasta,” along with Vinod Gopaul, referred to as “Magga,” were found guilty of the murders of cousins Joel Henry and Isaiah Henry. This verdict was reached by a 12-member jury after more than two hours of deliberation, presided over by Justice Simone Morris.

The trial focused on the events surrounding the September 2020 killings of the two teenagers, whose bodies were discovered in the Cotton Tree backlands located in West Coast Berbice. The prosecution’s case relied heavily on the testimony of Akash Singh, known as “Monkey,” who was a co-accused and served as the State’s key witness. Singh testified that he, along with Sancharra and Gopaul, killed the cousins after they allegedly found that a marijuana farm had been treated with chemicals.

During the proceedings, State Prosecutor Marisa Edwards presented evidence from approximately 45 witnesses, which included testimonies from Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh, police officers, and relatives of the deceased teenagers. Both Sancharra and Gopaul denied any involvement in the murders. Sancharra claimed he was not present at the crime scene and accused Singh of fabricating the allegations against him. Gopaul also disputed Singh’s account, asserting that he was in police custody on an unrelated firearm matter from September 5 to 11, 2020, and could not have been present during the killings.

After Justice Morris summarized the case on Tuesday, the jury deliberated and returned guilty verdicts for both defendants. Following the verdict, Justice Morris ordered that probation and psychiatric reports be prepared in advance of sentencing, which is scheduled for June 26, 2026.

Source: snn.gy

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