The month-long trial of Ryan Robinson who was before the High Court on a charge of murdering a mentally ill woman, Carol Ann Augustus, at Mahaica in 2005 ended yesterday when the jury found him guilty of the capital offence.
Robinson showed no emotion on being convicted on the charge which carries the mandatory death penalty. He was on trial before Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards.
Augustus, who was of unsound mind, went missing from her Sophia home in July 2005. Her body was later found floating in the Atlantic Ocean.
The High Court indictment said Robinson called “Bat-Ears” killed her some time between July 21 and 22 and during the trial the prosecution admitted into evidence a caution statement he gave police saying that he had sexual intercourse with the woman, choked her and then pushed her into the ocean.
A post-mortem report said Augustus had been strangled and hit in the head. The prosecution called a witness who said he had seen Robinson having sex with Augustus. The man told the jury he was supposed to have taken his turn after Robinson was done, but it did not happen.
During the trial it became clear that Augustus somehow ended up in Mahaica and was seen bathing naked on a bridge in the area the day before she died. Robinson’s defence, which was led by his counsel, Lyndon Amsterdam is that he had sex with the woman but he did not kill her.
The defence said Robinson had left Augustus alive and chatting with two men. With respect to the caution statement Robinson denied giving one to the police. State counsel Judy Latchman appeared for the prosecution.
