The 32-year-old Guyanese man, who was convicted of slashing the throat of a woman he was accused of raping to prevent her from testifying against him, was on Tuesday sentenced to life in prison in the US.
According to NY press reports, Hemant Megnath, who was convicted in March of murder, intimidating a witness, bribing a witness and coercion in the March 2007 killing of 20-year-old Natasha Ramen, was sentenced following an emotional appeal in court by the victim’s husband.
“The most I can get in this life is to see you in jail, so I’ll take it,” the woman’s widower, Leonard Ramen, said at the sentencing hearing on Tuesday. “You left me with nothing but my life, which is worthless now.”
Prosecutors had presented that Megnath slit Ramen’s throat and left her dying on the ground in the backyard of her Hollis, Brooklyn home in March 2007 as she was leaving for work.
Prosecutors further said a blood-soaked receipt with the words “call 911” was found next to Ramen’s body.
Megnath, who at the time was about to stand trial for raping Ramen, killed her to prevent her from testifying.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert Hanophy sentenced Megnath to life without parole, plus 25 years on the witness intimidation count. Megnath’s defence lawyer, Todd Greenberg, said Megnath maintains his innocence and intends to appeal his conviction.
It was revealed in court that the judge who presided over Megnath’s hearing for the rape charge never received information that the man had allegedly threatened to kill Ramen if she testified that he had raped her in May 2005.
The judge had granted Megnath $10,000 bail. Had the judge known of the murder threat allegation he could have thrown Megnath back in jail when the case was heard again.
Despite a protection order, Megnath had made frightening threats to Ramen’s in-laws at their home after he was arrested on aggravated harassment charges.
