Barber to face retrial over Anna Catherina triple murder
-after jury fails to reach verdict
After almost four hours of deliberation, a 12-member jury was last night unable to come to a verdict in the trial of Abishai Caesar, the barber who was charged with killing a woman and her two children at Anna Catherina in 2012.
Abishai Caesar, 34, was on trial before Justice Brassington Reynolds at the High Court in Georgetown for murdering Jennifer Persaud, Afridi Bacchus and 18-month-old Jadon Persaud between September 21st and September 22nd, 2012.
Caesar was represented by attorney Maxwell McKay, while Prosecutor Lisa Cave represented the state.
After the judge’s summing up yesterday, the jurors yesterday took to the deliberation room, where they stayed for almost three hours yesterday afternoon then came back for further directions from the judge. Just around 7:45pm last evening, members of the jury returned to the courtroom where it was announced that they were unable to come to a unanimous verdict which is required by law before an accused person is sentenced.
The judge subsequently noted that as they were unable to come to a unanimous verdict, Caesar will face a retrial at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara assizes.
Caesar, who was the deceased’s neighbour, is alleged to have entered her home in an attempt to rob the woman and would have subsequently murdered her and her two sons.
Caesar was arrested and charged for the murder in 2016 after his then reputed wife reported to the police that he killed Persaud and her children during a robbery.