Derek Achong
A handyman has been convicted of murdering a chartered accountant almost 16 years ago.
Kendall Gomez was found guilty of murder and given the mandatory death penalty at the end of his judge-alone trial before High Court Judge Gail Gonzales on Thursday afternoon.
Gomez was accused of murdering Paul Roopsingh at his St Joseph home on March 11, 2006.
According to the evidence in the case, which was summarised by Justice Gonzales in her written reasons for her verdict, Roopsingh’s body was found by a friend the following day when he came to deliver newspapers to Roopsingh.
Roopsingh’s house was ransacked and his body was found in his office. He had been stabbed in his left thigh and was strangled with an electrical cord from a fan.
Gomez was arrested after a fingerprint impression on the fan was linked to his right forefinger.
Gomez participated in two interviews with homicide detectives, in which he denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the only portion of Roopsingh’s house he ever entered was the storeroom where a lawnmower was kept.
In her decision, Gonzales noted that while State prosecutors were not relying on Gomez’s unsigned interview notes she still had to consider them.
She noted that she did not accept Gomez’s claims as he was not credible or reliable.
Noting that Gomez’s fingerprint on the fan was circumstantial evidence, Gonzales stated that there was no innocent explanation or reasonable justification for it being there.
“The only logical conclusion to be drawn from Gomez’s fingerprint being on the fan, in those circumstances was that his fingerprint got there whilst he was in the house for an unlawful purpose,” Gonzales said, as she noted that she was satisfied that the evidence pointed to Gomez strangling the victim with the electrical cord.
She also pointed out that when he was interviewed by police Gomez attempted to insinuate that the crime was committed by another man, who lived in the community.
“I was sure that the only reason he told such a lie was because he was conscious of his guilt and he wanted to cast suspicion away from himself. In those circumstances, I found that this lie supported the inference of guilt,” Gonzales said.
In 2013, this newspaper published a harrowing letter to the editor from Roopsingh’s daughter to mark the seventh anniversary of his murder.
In the letter, she lamented over the slow pace of the criminal justice system and noted that she and her relatives had issues in getting updates on the case.
“My voice at times seems to going against a tidal wave of incompetence in the justice system of T&T,” she said.
At the time, she claimed that she and relatives were still traumatised by her father’s brutal murder.
“Everyday I wake up hoping that this is just a nightmare and I am an unwilling participant. The pain of losing a loved one is difficult to bear. The agony that follows when one is not able to put closure is a tragedy,” she said.
She said that her family was hopeful that the case would go to trial soon.
“Justice delayed is justice denied and we are hoping that our father, a decent, law-abiding citizen, a wonderful husband and an exemplary father will not just in the end be known simply as murder victim #71,” she said.
Gomez was represented by Gretel Baird and Adelia Jordan, while Stacey Laloo-Chong and Indira Chinebas prosecuted.