Carpenter Dwayne Jordan, who was found guilty of the murder of his reputed wife, was yesterday sentenced to death by Justice Navindra Singh in the High Court.
Justice Singh told Jordan, 40, that the jury had found him guilty of the crime and as such he was to be taken to the lawful place of execution and be hanged until death.
Before handing down sentence, Justice Singh said that what bothered him was that the evidence presented in the case stated that Jordan had heard a rumour that his wife had another man, following which she was found in an abandoned house with injuries that appeared to be caused by a hatchet or knife. “How can the court not conclude that it was your intention to do that to Claudine?” the judge asked.
Justice Singh also added that death should be the penalty in serious cases where the court believes there was no regard for human life. He also stated that the court could not accept that it was a crime of passion, as argued by the defence.
A 12-member jury had unanimously found Jordan guilty of the June 14, 2007 murder of Claudine Rampersaud at Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara. The prosecution’s case was that Rampersaud was going home from work when Jordan, who was waiting on her, dragged her into an abandoned house on the Claybrick Road, Den Amstel and hacked her to death.
Her sister, Shellon Payne, and brother-in-law, Ryan Lewis, who were alerted to the incident rushed to the scene and were also attacked by the man, who then fled.
He was later captured by police with what appeared to be self-inflicted wounds to his neck, foot and stomach. After spending some time in the hospital, he was charged with the murder.
Jordan’s attorney had earlier made a mitigating plea for the court to be merciful to his client. Defence counsel Nigel Hughes argued that his client had no previous records of violence or brutality.
Hughes said his client was remorseful of the action which caused four of his seven children to lose their mother and that it was a crime of passion. He further stated that where emotions of passion are involved it is difficult to predict our actions.
Jordan has spent the last five years reflecting upon his action, Hughes added, but prior to the incident he lived an honest life before finding himself in a very difficult and compromising position. He also asked the court for justice to be dispensed with abundance of mercy so that Jordan’s children could be given an opportunity to bond and reconcile with him.
State prosecutor Konyo Thompson, who represented the state with Renita Singh, said in her rebuttal to the defence that the case was serious; it showed that Jordan had a motive for killing his wife because he said she had another man. As a result, Thompson argued, the crime was premeditated and orchestrated.
Thompson also argued that Jordan had showed no remorse in this trial and noted that this was his second trial after the jury in the first one returned a verdict of eleven guilty and one not guilty. She also pointed out that the accused had attempted to commit suicide, since he was found with his tendons cut in a clump of bushes parallel to the crime scene. She asked the court to let the sentence be as a deterrent to jealous husbands seeking to counter suspicions of infidelity with brutality and that the penalty should reflect the gravity of the case. Jordan must be shown the same mercy he showed Claudine, Thompson added.
After sentence was handed down, relatives of the deceased were overcome with joy. They said they were satisfied because it has brought some closure to their lives.
