Pensioner charged with accessory after the fact of Arimu Backdam double murder
Joseph Thomas was on Friday charged with accessory after the fact of murders in the shooting death of dredge owner Mohamed Zaheer Sheriff and his porter Donovan Washington.
Thomas of Lot 5 Liverpool Village, Corentyne, Berbice, was arraigned before Magistrate Teriq Mohamed in the Bartica Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the indictable charge.
He was granted bail of $600,000, and the case was adjourned to May 31, 2024. Alongside Thomas, Travis Fredericks, 32, and Fernando Fredericks, 28, both miners from Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), were also charged with being accessories after the fact of murders.
Additionally, Teddy Thomas, 44, a taxi driver from Itaballi Landing, and Paul James Derrick were charged with murder in the course or furtherance of a robbery related to the same incident.
Zaheer Sheriff, a 50-year-old dredge owner, and his porter Donovan Washington were riddled with bullets on March 03, 2024, while en route to Bartica.
At the time, Sheriff had 102 ounces of raw gold valued at $37 million and several firearms in his possession. However, when Police arrived on the scene, those items were nowhere to be found.
