Anil Sancharra, known as “Dan Pole” and “Rasta,” and Vinod Gopaul, called “Magga,” were on Tuesday found guilty of the murders of cousins Joel Henry and Isaiah Henry following a trial in the Berbice High Court.
The unanimous verdict was delivered by a 12-member jury after more than two hours of deliberations before Justice Simone Morris.
Sancharra and Gopaul had been on trial for the September 2020 killings of the two teenagers, whose bodies were discovered in the Cotton Tree backlands, West Coast Berbice.
The prosecution’s case was largely built on the testimony of Akash Singh, known as “Monkey,” a co-accused who testified as the State’s key witness. Singh told the court that he, along with Sancharra and Gopaul, killed the cousins after they allegedly discovered that a marijuana farm had been sprayed with chemicals.
During the trial, State Prosecutor Marisa Edwards presented evidence from approximately 45 witnesses, including Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh, police officers, and relatives of the slain teenagers.
Both accused men denied any involvement in the murders. Sancharra maintained that he was not present at the scene and accused Singh of fabricating the allegations against him. Gopaul also challenged Singh’s account, stating that he was in police custody on an unrelated firearm matter between September 5 and 11, 2020, and therefore could not have been at the Cotton Tree backlands when the killings occurred.
Following Justice Morris’ summation of the case on Tuesday, the matter was handed over to the jury for deliberation. The jury subsequently returned guilty verdicts against both men.
Justice Morris ordered probation and psychiatric reports to be prepared ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled for June 26, 2026.
