PC Tota-Maharaj in court for murder

PC SUNIL TOTA-MAHARAJ was yesterday formally charged with the murder of 19-year-old Stephan Mervyn Caton. The youth died on Thursday, 13 days after he was shot in the head, and Tota-Maharaj, 30, attached to the Inter-Agency Task Force, yesterday appeared before San Fernando Magistrate Amina Deonarine. The charge alleged that Tota-Maharaj murdered Caton in Egypt Village, Point Fortin, on Friday May 6. Tota-Maharaj was first charged with attempted murder, as Caton battled for his life in the San Fernando General Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. He was granted $750,000 bail in the Point Fortin Magistrates’ Court.

Following Caton’s death on Thursday, Tota-Maharaj surrendered to the police and was detained at the San Fernando Homicide Bureau. An autopsy on Caton’s body at the Forensic Sciences Centre revealed the teenager died from a single gunshot wound to the head. When Tota-Maharaj appeared in court yesterday, the magistrate read the charge and told him he was not called on to plead. The policeman, a father of one of Temple Street, Mt Lambert, was remanded into custody. The matter which was transferred to the Point Fortin Magistrates’ Court, was adjourned to Monday. Meanwhile, funeral arrangements for Caton have been fixed for Tuesday.