Aaron Hing was on Friday sentenced to death for murdering his godbrother, British teenager Dominic Bernard, in 2015 at Kildonan, Corentyne.
The death sentence was handed down by Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Berbice, immediately after Hing was found guilty by a jury.
Hing, who was represented by attorney Sanjeev Datadin, had initially pleaded guilty to the crime at his first High Court appearance. However, after a summary of the case was read, Justice Sandil Kissoon was forced to enter a not guilty plea for Hing, who labelled himself a victim in the matter and implicated co-accused Staymon George. George, after pleading guilty to the crime last month, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 35 years.
Following Hing’s trial, Justice Kissoon summed up the matter to the jury yesterday after which they returned with a unanimous guilty verdict just after 15:00 hrs.
Hing was then asked whether he had anything to say to the court following the verdict.
“Praise be to God. Thank you,” he responded. “I would like to say to God be the glory and no matter what the situation God will always get the praise. Thank you very much,” he continued.
In issuing the sentence, the judge told Hing that he was unfit to live among ordinary people and sentenced him to “death by the manner which is required by law.”
Attorney Latchmie Rahamat, who was appointed special prosecutor for the trial, had said at the first hearing that Bernard, 18, had arrived in Guyana on October 14, 2015, and was uplifted from the airport by Hing and his friend, George, in a rented car.
Rahamat had disclosed, that after leaving the airport, the trio went to a restaurant, where they bought food and proceeded to Kildonan School Dam. At that location, she said, the men walked to a short distance away from a three and a half feet grave, which was dug the day prior, by the two accused.
According to the Special Prosecutor, Hing had indicated to investigators that he wanted to “get back at” Bernard, whom he claimed caused him to be arrested in London, and so he hatched a plan and told George that they would rob Bernard since he was expected to come with a sum of cash.
She said Hing had told investigators that he used a piece of wood to hit Bernard, causing him to fall to the ground. How-ever, Bernard started to fight back but George then overpowered Bernard and proceeded to beat him with a hammer until he stopped moving. After the young man was no longer moving, the two accused then placed him into the grave, which they then covered.
Rahamat noted that Hing claimed he took possession of Bernard’s belongings which included his camera and equipment, phone and clothing, which he hid behind his mother’s house.
Hing was not arrested until January 8, 2016, after Bernard’s father visited Guyana after his son did not make any contact with him since leaving England.
After speaking to both Hing and his mother, Bernard’s father, who arrived in Guyana on January 2, 2016, sought assistance from members of the Guyana Police Force as Hing had claimed that he did not pick up Bernard from the airport back in October, 2015.
According to Rahamat, hours before Hing’s arrest police had discovered the shallow grave with a decomposed body which was later identified to be Bernard following DNA testing.
She said Hing had told investigators at the time of his arrest, “Officer ah know ah woulda get caught up. Me can’t run from this. The body what find a Kildonan backdam is Dominic.”
Meanwhile, according to Rahamat, it was after Hing left his mother’s house that he asked the mother of his child to move Bernard’s belongings from where he had hidden it and also asked a friend to retrieve the items and discard them.
These persons are all presently before the court as they were charged with being accessories after the fact. Rahamat said that those persons led investigators to retrieve the items.
Rahamat also stated that Bernard’s phone was retrieved from a phone technician in New Amster-dam, and that they were in receipt of CCTV footage placing Hing at the location handing over the phone to the technician in his quest to have it unlocked.
Bernard’s mother, Linda Bernard, related, that she was extremely proud of her son when she dropped him off at the airport to travel to Guyana—an adventure he was excited to go on and share with Hing, his god brother.
She told Hing, “You dug my son’s grave before his arrival… You lured him to beat him to death with weapons you strategically hid.”
She said during the trial she learnt a lot of information she did not know previously. “I now know he fought back. My son fought you back for his life.”
She said, “What cowards you are, what a lowlife cowardice act. What chance did he have? You threw my boy into the grave you dug and buried him. This was premeditated and calculated.”
She then went on to tell Hing that he lost his liberty and the things which he took for granted. “That is the price you pay for murdering my child. You thought yourself too clever! You are a fool and liar who will never know freedom again.”
She also thanked everyone who played a part in bringing the men to justice and noted that Rahamat left no stone unturned.
Meanwhile, Bernard’s father, Andrew Bernard, who is also Hing’s god father, told the accused in his statement, “Aaron I can’t tell you how my heart was broken. I was the one that picked you up from the hospital with your father and mother when you were a baby. I was honored when they (Hing’s parents) asked me to be your god father. Who would have known 22 years later what you would do? That script nobody could have written.”
The father said that while George was “man enough” to plead guilty to his crime, Hing continued to deny his involvement over the last six years “even though it was clear that you were the architect and main perpetrator of this premeditated murder, this brutal crime against your god brother.”
Bernard pointed out that his deceased son would have offered help to Hing while they were in England numerous times. “You are a liar. You are a coward. You are a murderer,” he said.
The parents also read statements from the teen’s sister, who both said that the ripple effect of his murder continues to affect their families. His youngest sister said she remembers her brother holding her hand one morning and telling her that he would always be there for her.
She then called for Hing to be given the maximum sentence with no chance of parole.
