Mason arraigned for murder of Mabaruma man

Forty-eight-year-old Christopher Van-Nooten, who allegedly stabbed a Mabaruma, Region One resident in front of a Police Officer on Easter Monday, has been slapped with a murder charge.

Van-Nooten, a mason of Barimanobo, Mabaruma, North West District, was hauled before Magistrate Sunil Scarce in the Mabaruma Magistrate’s Court via Zoom and was not required to plead to the indictable charge.

The charge stated that on April 18, 2022, at Mabaruma Settlement Ground, he murdered 44-year-old Sherwin Smith of Kumaka Waterfront, Mabaruma.

He was remanded to prison until May 17, 2022, when he would make another court appearance.

Reports are that Van-Nooten, who was armed with a knife, suddenly approached the victim and stabbed him twice about the body.

A policeman who was stationed at the compound’s gate witnessed what transpired and arrested the suspect.

The victim ran to a nearby car and was rushed to the Mabaruma Regional Hospital, where he was immediately taken into the Emergency Unit. However, he succumbed to his injuries later that evening.