A businessman and a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force have been charged with the murders of two men following a violent altercation in Fyzabad last month. The accused appeared in the South Criminal Court after their arrests on Sept. 9, with the case adjourned until Oct. 30.
Police identified the accused as business owner Victor Delwyn and Defence Force soldier Shandon Woodley. Both were charged in connection with the deaths of Richard Mc David and Anslem Nicholas, who were injured during an altercation in Fyzabad on Aug. 21 and later died at the Siparia Health Facility. The circumstances leading to the confrontation remain part of the criminal investigation.
According to reports, Mc David and Nicholas sustained serious injuries during the incident and were subsequently taken for medical treatment. The deaths prompted an investigation by homicide officers, which continued for several weeks before Delwyn and Woodley were arrested on Sept. 9 and later charged. The men appeared before Master Ambrose Persadsingh in the South Criminal Court on Sept. 11, according to local media reports
The charges mark the latest development in a case that began with the deaths in Fyzabad on Aug. 21. The proceedings will now continue through the courts, where evidence surrounding the deaths and the allegations against the accused will be examined. As the matter is before the court, the charges remain allegations and both defendants are entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.