By JADA LOUTOO Friday, June 22 2012

FIVE MEN will face a third trial for the murder of San Juan businesswoman Samdaye Rampersad, after a jury in the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain failed, yet again, to arrive at a unanimous verdict on Wednesday.

The five accused men — Phillip Boodram of Dow Village, California; Kervin Williams and Marlon Aaron Grappie, both of Pranz Gardens, Claxton Bay; Roger Mootoo of Springvale, Claxton Bay and Ricky Singh of Cedar Hill Road, Claxton Bay — were before Justice Malcolm Holdip in the Second Criminal Court, on trial for the 2005 murder.

The trial began last October. A first trial in 2009 ended in mixed verdicts being delivered. The five were ordered to face a fresh trial while two were convicted of the lesser count of manslaughter and a third man was freed.

After returning for further instructions from the judge on Wednesday, the jury returned to deliberate and were brought back into the court when their allotted deliberation time had expired.

When asked to give their verdict, the foreman said they were unable to arrive at unanimous verdicts for the five men and added that additional deliberation time will serve no useful purpose. After being told by Holdip that they will face another trial, the five accused men dejectedly looked at their relatives who packed the public gallery at the back of the courtroom.

Rampersad, 48, was kidnapped from her Petit Bourg business place on November 25, 2005. Her body was unearthed from a shallow grave in a cashew field in Claxton Bay on January 5, 2006.

The kidnapped businesswoman, according to an autopsy, died of asphyxia and suffocation after being buried alive. The men were represented by a legal team which included attorneys Evans Welch, Wayne Sturge, Criston J Williams and Ravi Gooljar.