Attorney-at-law died from stab wound to the neck – PME

Richard Layne, the 35-year-old attorney-at-law, who was found murdered in his car outside his Century Palm Gardens, D’Urban Backlands, Georgetown home, has died from a stab wound to the neck.

Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh confirmed this cause of death after a Post Mortem Examination (PME) on Friday.

According to Dr. Singh, the stab wound was inflicted with a sharp instrument measuring at least 17 centimetres in length, penetrating from left to right.

The examination was performed around 10:00h, following the identification of Layne’s body by his cousin, Michael Harding, and his brother, Ryan Layne.

Layne, 35, was discovered with a neck wound in his car between 21:30h and 22:13h. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported that the attorney-at-law lived with his friend, Tony Sulker, a 29-year-old police sergeant.

Layne’s cousin had told police that the two had spent time together on the evening of the incident. Harding, a 30-year-old resident of Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD), explained that he visited Layne at around 19:00h.

After spending time with Layne, Harding left for his home at 20:17h. He said he ensured that Layne’s house and yard gates were locked and observed that his car was parked securely in the garage.

Sulker, who was home at the time, noticed Layne’s car parked on the premises’ bridge around 22:00h. Seeing Layne slumped and motionless in the driver’s seat, Sulker attempted to check on him but found the car doors locked.

Sulker also told crime sleuths that he contacted Layne’s mother, who lives in Campbellville. Despite their efforts to open the car doors, they were unsuccessful until Layne’s mother instructed Sulker to break the driver-side window with a hammer.

Upon gaining access to the vehicle, they discovered Layne with a neck wound and immediately called emergency services and the police. The 35-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sulker and Harding were detained for questioning but were released from custody on Thursday night.