At 8.50 pm last night, Matthew Maharaj, 18, one of two men held in connection with the death of Shannon Banfield was released from police custody. Maharaj is now questioning how he will continue with his life.
The customer attendant at I AM Company Ltd said he had been employed at the store for six weeks before he was labelled a wanted man in the media following the disappearance and subsequent death of Banfield, 20.
“I think the entire thing was very unfair because my face was in the media and now people will see that and say I am the man who kill the woman. How I supposed to get a job now? Right now I just want to go home and sleep in a comfortable bed and I wish that this just disappear,” Maharaj said.
The Sunday Guardian visited the teen’s El Socorro home prior to his release and was told by neighbours that he was a “quiet boy” and they were surprised that he would harm anyone since “he always inside and does hardly talk”.
Outside the Homicide Bureau, Riverside Plaza, last night, Maharaj admitted that by not showing up for work on Tuesday he “looked bad”, but said he was not feeling well.
On Wednesday, he went to work and stayed all day. Maharaj said he asked about the stench coming from the business but was not given a response, and he forgot about it. However, on Thursday, he arrived 25 minutes late and was sent back home. Asked where he was on Monday evening, he said he was at work but did not see Banfield at the store because it was a busy day.
He added that the storage area where Banfield’s body was discovered could only be accessed by workers. While Maharaj was still in police custody his relatives told the Sunday Guardian that around 3.30 pm on Thursday he was telephoned by a Homicide detective and they met at City Gate.
A few hours later, a media release from the Police Service stated that he and Dale Seecharan were “persons of interest” in Banfield’s death.
The relatives said the Police Service (not the Homicide Bureau) acted irresponsibly by releasing the photographs of both men, particularly since the men were both in police custody when the release was sent out.
“When I reach home I just want to bathe because I ain’t bathe since Thursday, eat something filling, and get a long lecture from my family,” Maharaj said.
Three female relatives of Maharaj who waited for his release said their hearts go out to Banfield’s family, adding that they have no idea the pain they must be feeling.
The women, who did not want to be identified, said police failed in their duties to both their family and Banfield’s family.
The women said the release of the picture already painted Maharaj in a negative light and there were social media posts calling for him to be hanged.
Maharaj’s relatives said due to the incident, he will be moving out from his El Socorro home.
Maharaj’s attorney Criston Williams said the hierarchy of the Police Service caused irrevocable damage to his client’s character.
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SEECHARAN IN CUSTODY
Meanwhile, Homicide sources said Seecharan, who is being kept at the Belmont Police Station, did not show up for work since the disappearance of Banfield. The excuse he gave to the lawmen was that he had the “Trump”, a nickname given to the common cold.
Officers said they seized pornographic material from his home. Last night, he was being interviewed by Homicide detectives with his attorney Larry Williams.
Asked about Seecharan, Maharaj said they barely interacted outside of pleasantries and for assistance during work hours.
Banfield, of Mc Carthy Street, Cantaro Village, Santa Cruz, was last seen leaving her work place—RBL’s Independence Square branch—around 4 pm on Monday. In a telephone conversation with her mother, Sherry-Ann Lopez around that time, Banfield had said she was leaving work to purchase items at the same store (I AM) she was eventually found in.
Lopez said she would normally drop off and pick up her daughter from work, but she (Banfield) decided to travel on Monday.
Banfield’s body was discovered hidden under some boxes in company’s third floor storeroom around 1.30 pm on Thursday by employees who were searching for the source of a stench which they believe was a dead rat. Banfield’s purse and shopping bags were found near to her body.