37-year-old Roshani Basdeo, the niece of the now-dead West Berbice pensioner confessed to police about killing her 87-year-old great aunt.
Roshnie Basdeo was placed before the Weldad Magistrate’s Court on Friday and was charged with the murder of her great-aunt Sumintra Sawh called “Aunty Betty”.
On Monday 28th, November (her birthday) the 85-year-old pensioner was found motionless at her Bushlot West Coast Berbice home.
Basdeo is a 37-year-old mother of three who appeared unrepresented at the court and was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge before Magistrate Peter Hugh.
She was remanded to prison until the next court hearing on December 14.
The state has 10 witnesses to commence trial for the matter.
Basdeo told the court she lives at 84 ‘B’ Bush Lot Berbice and works as a cleaner every Friday at the community’s masjid and is married.
Sawh was found battered in her home which the accused would normally visit her.
Basdeo had originally told police that two men armed with knives had broken into her aunt’s home and robbed her of $350,000 and killed her aunt.
However when comprehensively questioned, Basdeo then changed her story and claimed that she and Sawh’s neighbour had planned to commit the act and take the money.
Afterward, Basdeo changed her story again, this time, confessing that she committed the heinous act all by herself, and only made up the other stories to protect herself after committing the act.
Basdeo also claimed that her aunt (Sawh) accused her of stealing the money along with other documents, which she denied and then she became annoyed. She (Basdeo), then armed herself with a hammer and wood and dealt Sawh several lashes to the head until the woman became unconscious. Basdeo told detectives that she then acquired a razor blade and inflicted injuries to herself for when the police would arrive at the scene of the crime
