3 Guyanese men freed after 40 years in jail for 1985 cesspit murder

AFTER spending nearly four decades behind bars, much of it on death row, three Guyanese men convicted for the 1985 murder of Ashton Ramkhalawansingh have been released from prison.

Deolal Sukhram, 69, Girijadat Sewpersaud, 58, and Jainarine Persaud, 67, were initially convicted on January 19, 1988, and sentenced to death by hanging. In 1994, their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

On April 16, Justice Tricia Hudlin-Cooper resentenced the trio, while recognising their rehabilitative efforts and urging them to use their progress as a foundation for positive change.

The men were resentenced to time served, after the time they had spent in prison was deducted from the 40-year term originally imposed.

According to the evidence, Persaud had been operating a footwear business at Maraj Street, Tunapuna, from where Ramkhalawansingh – who had financed the business – was last seen alive on March 31, 1985.

His body was found in a concrete septic tank.

The business had since closed. Sukhram and Sewpersaud were also said to have been involved in the venture.

A ransom note was found on April 1, 1985, at the home of Ramkhalawansingh’s parents in San Juan. The note demanded $100,000 in $100 bills and warned that the victim would be killed if the demand was not met. Investigators later discovered that the note had been written by Sukhram.

The three men were seen on the Ramkhalawansingh family compound shortly after the ransom note was discovered. The money was delivered to the designated drop-off point, but police had recorded the serial numbers of the $100 notes. Soon after, the men left Trinidad for Guyana, using Ramkhalawansingh’s vehicle to reach the airport.

On April 2, 1985, Guyanese customs officers reportedly found Persaud in possession of a large quantity of $100 notes. Upon a request from the TT police, local authorities in Guyana searched premises linked to the men and found more notes with matching serial numbers. Sewpersaud was also discovered to have $100 notes with recorded serial numbers.

After a night in detention, all three provided written confession statements. In these statements, they admitted to having planned the kidnapping, demanding a ransom, and murdering Ramkhalawansingh.

The next day, police went to Maraj Street, on April 12, 1985, where Persaud was staying with his family and found Ramkhalawansingh’s body in a concrete septic tank. His head was covered with a plastic bag secured by wire, and a towel had been tied over his face. His body was unrecognisable, but identification was made based on clothing, dentures, and personal items such as a watch and pen.

Dr Ramnath Chandulal, who performed the autopsy, concluded that Ramkhalawansingh had been immersed in the septic tank while still alive. He found three severe injuries to the head and said death likely occurred from blunt force trauma combined with suffocation.

The body was retrieved on April 12, 1985 and the autopsy was carried out the next day, with the time of death estimated to be 12–14 days prior.

Upon extradition to Trinidad, all three men admitted that the confessions were in their handwriting. However, they claimed the confession statements had been dictated by the police and obtained through the use of force.

In his version of events, Persaud claimed an altercation took place on March 31, 1985, over financial matters. He alleged that Ramkhalawansingh attacked him and that he struck the victim in self-defence using a piece of wood, resulting in a head injury.

He said Ramkhalawansingh was bleeding profusely from a head wound and was unconscious. Believing Ramkhalawansingh to be dead, Persaud said he wrapped his head with a towel. He then abandoned Ramkhalawansingh’s car at Piarco airport and inquired about flights to Guyana.

He then met the others and they assisted with disposing the body in the septic tank after they agreed to stage a kidnapping and demand a ransom. They later collected the money from a location in Curepe. They all hurriedly left for Guyana where Persaud distributed the ransom money.

Their attorneys, Mark Seepersad and Daniel Khan, submitted prison reports which showed they have made significant strides in rehabilitation.

The reports said Sukhram participated in numerous educational and religious programmes and earned several certificates, including in literacy tutoring. He also served as a teacher in the prison’s school and was assessed to have developed the skills to reintegrate into society and manage interpersonal conflict.

Sewpersaud also made notable improvements in his personal, academic, religious, and social development. He assisted in teaching, attended religious services, and completed several programmes, including adult literacy, life skills, and vocational training. He was also said to have benefitted significantly from his treatment plan.

Persaud was said to have completed multiple rehabilitation programmes, including CXC subjects, life skills modules, and bible courses. He authored and published a poetry booklet and was certified as an adult literacy tutor in 2002. His evaluations concluded that he was mentally, physically, and spiritually prepared for life after prison.

Kateisha Ambrose-Persaudsingh represented the state at the resentencing hearing.