Man charged with murder of transgender sex worker
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — A 31-year-old man was remanded into custody until July 22 when he appeared in a magistrate’s court on Friday, charged with the murder of a transgender sex worker, Shawn Anthony Simon.
Akeem Fraser appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge.
He is one of two suspects who the police said they have been advised to lay the murder charge against. The other person, Shaggy Mohamed, 23, is currently on remand on a robbery charge at Lusignan Prison. The charge of murder will be read out to him at his next court hearing.
Police said Simon was killed on July 11 while in the company of another sex worker.
The police said he was shot and killed by the men using two firearms — a P80 9mm pistol and an Elite Britain 9mm pistol — based on the spent shells recovered from the scene.
During questioning, one of the suspects provided investigators with details of how the shooting unfolded.
Meanwhile, police are probing the death of 40-year-old Chardson Ernest, a farmer, who was allegedly killed on Thursday by a close relative.
The police said that Ernest, the nephew of the 47-year-old suspect, was on Wednesday in the company of other relatives who were at a bar drinking.
They said that the incident which lead to his death stemmed from allegations that Ernest had stolen cows belonging to one of the relatives.
They said the relative, who is the main suspect, had been seen with a knife in his possession after Ernest had collapsed to the ground.