Guilty of killing mother and infant son

The murders took place in 2005 and 12 years later, 41-year-old Anand Baboolal, also known as “Son”, went on trial.

Justice Althea Alexis- Windsor ordered that he suffer death by hanging for the murders of 26-year-old Ria Ramlochan and Ishmael Timothy Ragbir.

The child was stabbed 14 times and one of his ears was severed.

The State led evidence that Baboolal committed the murders on a day unknown between August 10 and 13 at Ramlochan’s Solomon Street, Mayaro home.

He was arrested at a camp behind a sawmill along Tabaquite Road, near New Grant. He and Ramlochan were in a relationship and he used to visit her.

The State, represented by attorneys Shabaana Shah and Chantal Hospedales, relied on a confession which Baboolal gave to police in the Rio Claro Police Station. He told the police Ramlochan was stabbed during an argument but gave no account of how Ishmael was stabbed and ended up in the river. The State called 12 witnesses including Supt Moses Charles and Insps Alexis Garcia, Azam Hamid and Fitzgerald George.

Baboolal, who was represented by attorney Rekha Ramjit, did not testify but called, as a witness, a doctor who said he examined Baboolal on the day he was arrested.

Shah told the 12-member jury that Baboolal has nine convictions for larceny which he committed between 1998 and 2002 in Mayaro.

The jurors began their deliberations at about 1pm yesterday after receiving directions in law from Alexis-Windsor. They returned three hours later with the verdicts.

Baboolal was asked if he had anything to say before sentence was passed on him.

He replied in the negative.