[Editor’s notes: The name in this serial who is deleted is FBI Special Agent Donald Hale, whose name appears more than 25 times in RYMUR serials. The deleted information from the memorandum – designated by brackets – which is known to the editor has been indicated by red type.
[This is a cable from the files of the State Department that was included in the FBI’s 2009 RYMUR release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act. It was not included in the State Department’s own release, but we have included identifying information for it using the agency’s designations.]
P 161850Z MAY 80
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2509
INFO DIRECTOR FBI WASHDC
GEORGETOWN 2292
BOGOTA FOR LEGATT
FBI WASHDC PASS TO SA [DONALD HALE] FBI SAN FRANCISCO
E.O. 12065: NA
TAGS: CARR, GY (LAYTON, LAWRENCE [Laurence])
SUBJ: TRIAL OF US CITIZEN LAWRENCE LAYTON
1. The eighth day of the trial of US citizen Lawrence Layton for the attempted murder of Vernon Gosney and Monica Bagby at the Port Kaituma airstrip on November 18, 1978, was almost entirely taken up with the testimony from Mortimer Kasanally, a rural constable.
2. Kasanally told the court that on November 18, 1978, Layton was brought into the Port Kaituma police station and admitted shooting persons at the airstrip. Under cross-examination from senior defense counsel Rex McKay, Kasanally admitted that he had failed to caution Layton against making any statements nor had he told Layton his constitutional rights. Kasanally also admitted that he had not recorded in the police station diary any statements allegedly made by Layton. Furthermore, Kasanally stated that no one else had heard Layton confess to the shootings.
3. McKay recalled two prosecution witnesses to clarify what he termed “inconsistencies” in their testimony. Presenting Judge Collins ruled that he could find no such inconsistencies.
4. The prosecution rested its case against Layton. The defense will open its case on May 19. McKay said he will call on Dr. Hardat Sukdeo [Sukhdeo], a Guyanese-born psychiatrist now Dean of the Dept. of Psychiatry at Rutgers University.
NNNN
Roberts [George B. Roberts, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana]