Trini jockey indicted for manslaughter

EX-TRINIDAD and Tobago jockey Michael Lutchman was indicted on manslaughter and other charges, following the death of another former TT rider Dilip Amarsingh, in New York this week. He faces between five to 25 years in jail if convicted. Lutchman, 43, of Queens Village, New York, was indicted by a grand jury in Nassau County on Monday last. When he appeared before Nassau County Court Judge Joseph Calabrese, Lutchman pleaded not guilty. New York Police said Lutchman stabbed 31-year-old Amarsingh, an exercise jockey from Trinidad, on September 14, outside a restaurant on the famous Belmont racetrack grounds. He allegedly stabbed Amarsingh with a steak knife.

Lutchman and Amarsingh, who had feuded a month earlier, did so again that  morning, but the nature of their argument remained a mystery, said Assistant District Attorney Mary Biunno. However, Newsday was informed that the feud was over a woman. Nassau police had charged Lutchman with second-degree murder but the grand jury refused to indict him on that charge. Instead, he was indicted on charges of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter. In addition, Lutchman was indicted on fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence for allegedly stashing the knife in a bin filled with manure straw.

Lutchman is being held at the Nassau County jail on a US$500,000 bond or US$250,000 cash bail.  A source told Newsday Lutchman is unable to get anyone to take his bail and remains in prison pending the hearing and determination of his trial. No date has yet been fixed for the trial. Meanwhile, Raymond Ganpath, a top Trinidadian jockey campaigning at Belmont, said the stabbing incident shocked the entire racing fraternity in New York. Ganpath, who was home for the Christmas race meetings at Santa Rosa Park, said he knew both Lutchman and Amarsingh very well. He said he was not aware that there was a problem between the two men. It was only after the killing that he found out there was something amiss.

“This shocked the entire community, but as everything else, it was soon forgotten after a while.” Ganpath said he was worried a bit that the racing fraternity would have treated the Trinidadians differently after the killing, but that never happened and life continued at Belmont. “It was such a sad thing because I knew both of them. I saw them all the time. “I was around the compound when the incident took place. That day was very sad for us.” When Newsday spoke with Ganpath, he was unaware that Lutchman had been indicted on manslaughter and other charges. Ganpath returns to New York today.