Samantha Seelall, 29, was brutally stabbed by her husband, Ganesh, 39, in their home. Photo from Facebook page Samantha Seelall.
Police from the 102nd Precinct made a grisly discovery on Thursday when they found the body of a 29-year-old woman stuffed under a bed. Her husband was later arrested and charged with the murder.
Upon responding to a call to 89-11 117th Street in Richmond Hill, police discovered the body of Samantha Seelall. She was naked except for a blanket covering her torso and a black plastic bag with duct tape around her head. The victim also had rags tied to both of her wrists.
Ganesh Seelall was arraigned on Friday in Queens Supreme Court and charged with second degree murder, aggravated criminal contempt, and tampering with physical evidence.
Seelall, 39, was under court order to stay away from his wife since an order of protection had been issued against him last January; it was to have remained in effect until 2014. Included in the order were directions for Seelall to refrain from stalking, assaulting and menacing his wife.
According to charges, the defendant killed his wife in their home sometime between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 2:32 p.m. on Thursday. Samantha Seelall died as the result of multiple stab wounds to her chest and the left side of her head. The medical examiner’s report detailed evidence of neck compression, consistent with choking, strangulation and smothering.
The brutal murder created a stir in the Guyanese community, where speculation and accusation on both sides peppered the situation.
A next-door-neighbor and distant relative of the victim, who spoke to The Forum on conditions of anonymity, said she believed the couple were both good people who loved each other, and that the tragedy was brought about by a dangerous combination of the suspect’s drinking problem and the victim’s temper.
“They had their ups and downs,” the relative said. “She has a temper and when he takes a little drink, he likes to talk. I think he just snapped,” the woman said. The woman went on to describe Samantha Seelall as a very hardworking and nice woman who enjoyed doing things with her husband, like shopping
Seelall leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter, Renita, whom she described to a friend as being “my whole life.” Photo from Facebook page Samantha Seelall.
and cooking.
Others in the Guyanese community offered a different explanation for the violent attack on Samantha Seelall. According to Guyanese publication the Kaieteur News, Peter Maradiaga, an uncle of Ganesh Seelall, said that the fight erupted after his nephew got drunk and Samantha told him she was having an affair with another man. The defendant’s relatives maintain that despite the order of protection against him, it was Samantha who was the abuser in the relationship. Maradiaga told reporters he expected the situation to end with his nephew as the victim. “She was violent,” he said of Samantha. “We live right next door, we saw the violence.”
But Maradiaga’s claims were blasted by the victim’s mother, Sunita Sarabjit, who said that her daughter had been in an abusive marriage for over eleven years.
One friend who spoke to The Forum said she was devastated by the news when she heard it on the radio. “I had to check it over and over,” said Alecia Salik. “I just couldn’t believe it.” Salik said the two had been friends back in Guyana from the time they went to high school. “We both came to America and we lost touch.” Then, by some stroke of luck, Salik said they were in the same restaurant and Seelall recognized her old friend.
“She came up to me and we were so happy to be reacquainted,” said Salik. The two women exchanged phone numbers and Facebook info, vowing to keep in touch. The friends picked up with each other from time to time, chatting on the phone and thorough social media. They last spoke on July 29. “She was always talking about her daughter. It was like that girl was her whole life.”
Salik said that the women had spoken a few times about the troubles between Samantha and her husband. “She told me that he was not working at all and that she had to take care of all the bills.” There was talk about how much he was drinking but no mention of abuse. “It’s a really difficult thing for me to accept—knowing you had this person as your friend for so long and now she’s murdered. I just can’t believe it. She was a sweet person. She would do anything for you. Now we have to worry that her daughter is without a mom or a dad.”
The couple arrived here from Guyana five years ago. They have a 10-year-old daughter, Renita who was not home at the time of the murder.
Ganesh Seelall was held without bail and ordered to return to court on September 10.
If convicted he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
By Patricia Adams
Natalia Kozikowska contributed to this story
