Moments before his trial for the murder of Jermaine Simon was set to continue at the High Court in Georgetown, Trevor Anthony Amsterdam yesterday pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to 19 years.
When his case was called before Justice Sandil Kissoon on Tuesday, Amsterdam who had been indicted for the capital offence entered a plea of not guilty which led to the empanelment of a jury and the commencement of a trial.
When the matter was called yesterday for continuation, however, Amsterdam changed his plea and accepted responsibility for the killing.
He accepted that on November 10th, 2015 he unlawfully killed Simon at Bagotstown, East Bank Demerera.
Two of the prosecution’s five witnesses had already testified when Amsterdam pleaded to the offence.
Before imposing the 19-year sentence on the offender, Justice Kissoon indicated to the court that he had taken into account both the aggravating and mitigating circumstances presented in the case.
He noted that a deadly weapon, a gun, was used to carry out the attack, and the fact that the deceased was shot in the centre of his forehead.
The judge said he also found the killing to have been planned, while noting that Amsterdam had been on the lam for quite some time before he was arrested.
In mitigation, however, Justice Kissoon said he had considered the offender’s early guilty plea, though he underscored that this was not done at the earliest given opportunity.
Defence attorney Ravindra Mohabir had said that his client had cooperated with investigators. On this point, however, Prosecutor Tiffini Lyken emphasized that the offender had been on the run for some time before being caught by police.
The prosecutor said that the family of the dead young man still mourns his loss, more so since they have a vivid recollection of the attack which they witnessed.
Lyken in her address to the court said that the attack on Simon was unprovoked and was carried out in such a manner that could have resulted in injury to other members of the public.
Simon was 24-years-old at the time of his death.
Justice Kissoon commenced the sentence at 25 years, but deducted six years for aggravating and mitigating factors.
According to previous reports, at the time of his death, Simon was wanted by the police for questioning in connection with the murder of Ryan Sooklall at Providence, EBD.
Police had said that Simon was allegedly shot in the head by the accused following a dispute. The man had reportedly left his home in Agricola to check on his grandmother when the shooting occurred.
He died the following day while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
