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 ext
