3 sentenced for killing gas-station owner in Ste Madeleine

TWO men were released from prison after almost two decades, while a third has a year and a half left to serve, after all three pleaded guilty to killing a Gasparillo gas station owner in 2005.

Kassim Mohammed, Randy Mohammed and Jibrail Khan were before Justice Gail Gonzales in the San Fernando High Court for the murder of Samdai Nanan, owner of a gas station in St Charles Village, on September 7, 2005.

The three were allowed to plead guilty to felony murder after they entered plea-deal discussions with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

On March 22, Gonzales accepted their pleas and sentenced them.

Kassim and Randy Mohammed were sentenced to time served after deductions were given for their guilty plea and the time they spent on remand. The judge said although they were left with a little over a month left on their sentences, she would sentence them to time served.

However, Khan has a year and six months left to serve on his sentence.

The prosecution’s evidence was that the three followed Nanan for a month before they killed her, and knew the routes she took to get home with the daily takings from the gas station. On the day she was killed, they tried to ram her car, but she did not stop and drove faster. They overtook the car, shot her and stole the money.

There was an eyewitness to the shooting along the M2 Ring Road in Ste Madeleine. The next morning, an employee found Nanan’s body in the front seat. An autopsy said she died of a gunshot wound to the back of the shoulder and internal chest injuries.

When arrested, the Mohammeds denied involvement in Nanan’s death. One said he had been at home and the other insisted he knew nothing about the killing.

Khan told officers, “Boss, I don’t know about that. I hear about that shooting, eh, but I eh know about that.”

When told he had been seen with a gun in Nanan’s car, he said, “I wouldn’t do that, I doh think I shoot nobody. Don’t think I do that, I doh rob nobody.”

They were all charged on May 2, 2006.

Kassim Mohammed was represented by Bryan Ramlal and Sherry Ann Ramlal. Randy Mohammed was represented by Larry Williams and Toni Roberts. Khan was represented by Darryl Douglas, and Janelle Chuck of the Public Defenders Department. Solange Devenish represented the State.