Three men charged in connection with the murder of police corporal Anuska Eversley are also facing charges connected to a massive cache of illegal firearms and ammunition, including more than 100 pistols and over 4,000 rounds of ammunition.
Municipal police officer Jivan “Bigs” Cooper, construction worker Kwame Arnold, 20, and scrap iron dealer Nicholas “Nico” Ramdass, 24, all of Claxton Bay, appeared in court today where the charges were read by Master Delicia Bethelmy.
The accused face multiple allegations arising from the April 19 killing of Corporal Eversley, who was found dead at the Municipal Police Station at King’s Wharf, San Fernando. A post-mortem examination later determined that she was strangled and beaten.
In addition to the murder charge, the men are accused of robbing the officer of government-issued firearms and ammunition and using violence against her.
Court proceedings revealed that they are charged with possession of 114 pistols, one revolver, six shotguns, and two MPX submachine guns, along with 173 firearm magazines intended for trafficking.
They are also facing charges relating to 4,395 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 30 rounds of 12-gauge ammunition, and ten rounds of .38 ammunition.
The numbers of missing weapons and ammunition was never officially disclosed by police investigators until the court matter.
The last time Commissioner of Police Allister Gueverro updated the media the search for the guns and ammo, it totaled 60 weapons and 1532 rounds of ammunition recovered.
In court, the men were not called upon to enter pleas.
Cooper is being represented by attorney Keith Beckles, while attorney Krysan Rambert appeared as duty counsel for Arnold and attorney Perusha Lord represented Ramdass.
During the hearing, Beckles raised concerns over pre-trial publicity, arguing that extensive social media coverage could prejudice a potential jury pool. He also questioned delays in the submission of the case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Police prosecutor Reagan Ramanan said he could not comment on social media publications but explained that the case file is extensive, comprising multiple statements, exhibits, photographs, video footage, interview notes, and a Cyber Crime Unit report. He noted that additional statements are still outstanding.
Master Bethelmy issued a scheduling order in the matter, and the accused are due to reappear in court on October 15. They were advised that they may apply for bail in writing.
