By FRANCIS JOSEPH
Rishi Motilal, 31, of Barrackpore, has been sent to Death Row for the murders of his common-law wife and baby daughter.
He was found guilty in a judge alone trial. Madame Justice Nalini Singh passed sentenced and imposed two death sentences.
Motilal was found guilty of the murders of Tara “Geeta” Ramsaroop, 31, and their daughter, Shermaya Motilal, aged 14 months old.
The court heard that on October 8, 2024, the chopping unfolded at Motilal’s home along Rig Road, Barrackpore, during a dispute between the couple. According to the State’s case, Motilal struck Ramsaroop with an iron pipe before arming himself with a cutlass, which he used to chop her a number of times before slitting her throat. He then used the same weapon to kill the child.
After the attack, Motilal left the location in a blue station wagon. The vehicle was later discovered burnt in a bushy area off Rochard Road, Penal.
Motilal’s mother, Farisha Mohammed, and sister-in-law, Gayatri Motilal, testified that they received calls from him in which he appeared distressed and confessed to the killings. Another witness also gave similar evidence.
In his defence, Motilal claimed he had been provoked, claiming that Ramsaroop told him he would never see his children again. He said he lost control and entered what he described as a dark hole, leaving him unable to fully recall the events. His attorneys urged the court to return verdicts of manslaughter instead of murder.
However, Justice Singh rejected the defence of provocation, finding that Motilal’s actions demonstrated clear intent. She pointed to the sequence of events, including his decision to arm himself and the nature of the injuries inflicted, as evidence of deliberate conduct rather than a sudden loss of control.
In delivering her ruling, Justice Singh noted that the manner in which the child was killed could only support a finding of intent to kill.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was represented by attorneys Dylan Martin, Josiah Soo Hon and Khi Cambridge, while Motilal was represented by attorneys Stephen Wilson and Ayanna Norville-Modeste.
