A Rio Claro resident yesterday admitted he fatally stabbed his neighbour during an argument with his neighbour for not telling him goodnight.
Ragoonath Juteram was charged with murdering Christopher Khan, 22, almost eight years ago, but the State accepted a guilty plea to the lesser count of manslaughter.
Giving Justice Hayden St Clair-Douglas in the San Fernando Second Assize a summary of the facts, State attorney Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal said on September 29, 2010, Khan dropped out of a car at Navet Village.
While walking along Jairam Trace he passed Juteram and Rudranath Beharry.
Juteram said, “I doh like strangers pass me in de dark and eh say goodnight.”
Khan replied, “So who is you to tell goodnight?” Juteram started to curse. Beharry told the Juteram he wasn’t a stranger, that he was Patoi’s grandson and Amoy and Tara’s son.
Juteram continued to curse, but Khan did not respond and continued walking. But, when he cursed him about his mother, the Khan walked up the accused and pushed him.
They began fighting during which Khan’s jersey and silver chains ended up on the ground.
When the Khan got home he told his mother what happened and she walked out the road to find Beharry.
Instead, she was approached by Juteram and they began to argue. Khan joined the argument as he demanded his chains.
Khan picked up a piece of wood and his mother held him back. Saying, “If yuh is an Badjohn come.”
Juteram started to walk towards Khan but he and his mother started walking away. Khan dropped the piece of wood.
The mother said she then felt her son spin her around. “She felt something hit her hand by her left wrist, which was around the deceased waist. She noticed him holding his belly and he fell to the ground,” Dougdeen-Jaglal told the court.
The mother saw her son standing in front of her with a bloody knife upraised in his hand.
The mother struck Juteram on his back with a piece of wood and he walked off.
Juteram told the police Khan attacked him with a piece of wood and when he tried to “brakes” he got stabbed.
Juteram’s attorney Sewlyn Ramlal is expected to submit a mitigation plea on February 7.