Jermaine Charles called 'Skinny' was yesterday charged with the murders of former Minister of Agriculture Satyadeow Sawh, his relatives and bodyguard and was remanded to prison, shouting as he was led away: "Me ent kill Sash, they planting murder on me".

Charles, who was already facing eight murder charges, is the first person to be charged with these murders which rocked the nation in April.

Charles, 21, was not required to plead to the charges at the Georgetown Magistrate's Court. And as the charge was being read out by Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan, Charles hissed through his teeth when he heard what he was being charged with. And though it was not required, he responded: "these people keep bringing murder charge and giving me. They just keep putting murder charge on me. What really going on? They just destabilising me."

Satyadeow Sawh

The charge read that on April 22 at La Bonne Intention (LBI) East Coast Demerara, Charles murdered Satyadeow Sawh, Rajpat Sawh, Phulmattie Persaud and Curtis Robinson.

Charles and others were previously charged with the shooting deaths of five people at the Kaieteur News printery; businessman Barbot Paul; Wordsworth Grey and 12-year-old Kevin Browne who was killed in his Mc Doom home.

It was reported that on the morning of April 22 seven masked gunmen dressed in military fatigues invaded the minister's home and riddled him, his two siblings and Robertson with bullets. Reports were that the minister's wife, Sattie and his brother, Omprakash, were in the kitchen when they saw a masked gunman looking at them through a window. It was around 12.15 am. Sattie had said that she alerted the minister who was in his hammock on the veranda, but before he could have scampered to safety, he was riddled with shots. He collapsed just inside his front door.

Sawh's brother, Omprakash hid his sister, Phulmattie Persaud underneath a bed, but the gunmen found her and after dragging her out shot her in the face. The gunmen then turned their guns on the minister again and at the same time placed Omprakash on top of Rajpat to execute them both. Omprakash said he begged the men for his sister's life and gave them $23,000, a digital camera and a watch. He said he and his brother were praying for their lives, but before the gunmen left they fired another shot at them killing Rajpat.

Security guard Curtis Robinson was also murdered.

Police had linked the killings to a Buxton-based gang. Government had said that foreign help would have been sought to solve the murder of the minister, but to this date there has been no help.

Charles' case was transferred to the Sparendaam Magistrate's court for February 2.