Slain former soldier Courtney Crum-Ewing

Crum Ewing killing

…cops pursue “hired gun” theory

By Bhisham Mohamed

Days after being charged for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and escape from lawful custody, 37-year-old Regan Rodrigues of Riverview, Ruimveldt, Georgetown is expected to face another charge, this time for the execution of Courtney Crum-Ewing.

Crum-Ewing was gunned down on March 10 while encouraging residents of Diamond New Housing Scheme to cast their vote in the May 11 General and Regional Elections.

Slain miner Jason Wills

A source told Guyana Times that the .32 pistol which was found in Rodrigues’ possession on Monday last was sent for a ballistic test to be conducted and it was proved that the same gun was used to execute the ex-soldier. Rodrigues was on Wednesday last charged and refused bail for being in possession of the Taurus pistol and 14 matching rounds. He was remanded and will make his next court appearance for that matter on August 4. The source stated that from all indications, the suspect, who was presently being grilled, will make his next court appearance this week to face a murder charge. The source stated that the gun was also implicated in another execution.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum on Sunday morning told media operatives that investigators have hard evidence against the suspect which can potentially lead to prosecution. “This is not somebody we just went on the road and pick up off the street. He has been fingered previously in at least one execution and also he is a known character to the Police … so currently we are continuing our probe into the Courtney Crum-Ewing murder,” Blanhum stated.

From the inception, it was believed that Crum-Ewing’s execution was politically motivated and this was confirmed by Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud on Saturday when he was bombarded with questions from the media with respect to probe.

Slain Police Constable Romain Cleto

“There are several lines of inquiry: the proximity of the incident to the election, the time of the incident to the election would have driven one line of inquiry that this thing may be related to the elections. The fact that it occurred near to the home of a political activist again developed that line of inquiry that not only this thing is related to election but somebody wants to bring a focus to the individual that lives there,” Persaud told media operatives on Saturday.

With Rodrigues in custody, the Police are looking for the “intellectual authors” in the execution-style killing since they believe that the suspect was paid a hefty sum to get the job done to cause chaos during the elections period. They have a few leads that they will continue to pursue and the investigative team is confident that they will have a major breakthrough sooner or later.

Crum-Ewing, a father of three, came to the public’s attention after he held a one-man demonstration for 80 days in front of the office of the then Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General Anil Nandlall, following revelations of a taped conversation between that official and a senior reporter of Kaieteur News.

He was shot five times – three bullets to the head, one to the back of the neck and the fifth bullet entered under one of his arms. All the bullets were fired from behind and at close range except the one that hit under his arm and exited through his shoulder.

Known character

Rodrigues has been implicated in a number of armed robberies within the past 10 years. He was held for illegal possession of arms and ammunition and armed robberies, one of which cost him 10 years in prison. He was also questioned for the murder of Police Corporal Romein Cleto, who was gunned down in the vicinity of Avenue of the Republic and Regent Street, Georgetown in April 2013.

Also, he was questioned for the murder of Jason Wills, called “Teddy”, of Mahdia, who was shot at least seven times in May 2013 as he sat watching television in the bottom flat of the two-storey house at Meadow Brook Gardens.

In 2012, the suspect, who is known as “Grey Boy”, survived a gun attack along the Ruimveldt Public Road when a heavily tinted vehicle pulled up alongside him and its occupants opened fire. He was struck to the leg during the attack by men whom he recognised.

Months prior to that attack, Rodrigues was involved in another drive-by shooting at a popular hangout spot in the Ruimveldt area. He escaped unhurt. The illegal arms and escape charges against the suspect were read on Wednesday last at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. It is alleged that on July 13 at Riverview, Ruimveldt, while in the custody of Constable 2041 Thomas pending criminal charges for unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition, Rodrigues escaped from lawful custody.

It is also alleged that on the same date, he had in his possession one Taurus pistol without being a licensed firearm holder and 14 live rounds of ammunition.