Justice James Bovell-Drakes yesterday sentenced Mark Samuels to hang for the murder of his reputed wife.
Samuels, 32, formerly of Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara stood silently staring straight ahead as the judge sentenced him to death by hanging just after 4 pm yesterday. Asked whether he wanted to say anything before his sentencing the defendant declined. “Nothing to say my honour,” were the only words he muttered.
Justice Bovell-Drakes proceeded to read the sentence, informing Samuels that he would be removed from the court to a lawful prison then will be taken to a place of execution where he will be hanged until death.
Between November 23 and 25, 2007 Samuels murdered his reputed wife Chandrowttie Lalla. The man appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on November 27, 2007 charged with Lalla’s murder. Reports then had said the man was discovered sleeping beside the woman’s decomposing body in their Lot 99 Grove Squatting Area home.
Attorney-at-law Hukumchand defended Samuels in the matter and prosecutors Ganesh Hira and Judith Gildharie-Mursalin presented the state’s case.
The jury, after receiving a final summary of the evidence presented to the court during the trial, was dispatched to make their decision. Almost four hours later the unanimous verdict of guilty was delivered.
The trial commenced in early October and kicked off with a voir dire (trial within a trial) to determine whether a caution statement, at the time alleged to have been made by Samuels, should be admitted to evidence. Hukumchand had argued that the caution statement incriminated his client.
However, the state had contended that the caution statement was crucial to its case. The statement was subsequently admitted to evidence. While the evidence presented in court collectively resulted in Samuels’ being found guilty, the caution statement and later testimony by a police officer who said Samuels had admitted to hitting his wife and killing her were key elements.
