By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Court Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
THREE men were charged in court yesterday in connection with three separate deaths in the nation’s capital in the past two months.
Alexander Sands, 22, appeared before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain on a charge of murder.
On July 10, 2022, it is alleged that Sands, being concerned with others, shot Lavandro Paul multiple times. While the victim initially survived this shooting he later died in hospital on December 17 of that year.
Sands was not required to enter a plea and was informed that his matter would be fast tracked to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).
Sands was further told that as the court lacked the jurisdiction to grant him bail he had the right to apply for it through the higher court.
He was remanded until then.
Sands’s VBI is set for service on April 27.
The other two men — Jeremiah Andrews, 29, and Deontalay Bethel, 18, both faced Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on separate charges of murder.
At around 2.30am on January 6 at a bar on Washington Street and Robinson Road, it is alleged that Andrews approached 34-year-old Tykeil “Pumpkin” Tynes, of Montell Heights. There, the victim was killed after being shot multiple times by his assailant.
Bethel, being concerned with others, was accused of the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Robert Delancey, Jr, on January 17. As the victim sat in front of his residence in Red Land Acres, a male suspect got out of a black Suzuki vehicle and fired multiple shots in Delancey’s direction.
While police later arrested Bethel and recovered the vehicle in this shooting in nearby bushes, a second male suspect in the matter is still at large.
In court, both accused were told that their matters would proceed to the Supreme Court by VBIs, where they will officially enter a plea at a later date.
The accused were also informed of their right to appeal for bail through the higher court, until that is granted, they will both be remanded to BDCS.
Before being taken into remand Andrews was allowed a brief moment with family members present in court.
The service of Andrews’s and Bethel’s respective VBIs is set for April 12.
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