Heaven Hill man to spend 5 years, 6 months for stabbing miner to death
Heaven Hill man to spend 5 years, 6 months for stabbing miner to death
Kaieteur News – After spending more than six years on remand for the murder of Peter James, a gold miner of Matthews Ridge, Region One, Leonard Fredricks of Heaven Hill, Matthews Ridge, was on Monday sentenced to five years, six months for the fatal stabbing.
In April 2022, Fredricks opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. He pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on December 30, 2015, at Hell Hill, Mathews Ridge, he unlawfully killed James.
Fredricks was arraigned in the Demerara High Court before Justice Jo Ann Barlow. He was represented by attorney-at-law Teriq Mohamed while the State was represented by Prosecutor Latifah Elliot.
Justice Barlow started Fredricks’ sentence at 18 years but made a one-third deduction [six years] for his early guilty plea and deducted the time spent on remand, six years, four months. As such, Fredricks will only serve five years, six months for the offence.
It was around 01:30hrs on December 30, 2015 when James was drinking in a shop at Hell Hill, when an argument ensued between him and Fredricks, who later stabbed him 10 times about his body.
Notably, two weeks prior to the fatal stabbing Fredricks and James were involved in an argument.
