Anderson Nicholson of 15 ‘C’ D’ Edward, West Bank Berbice was sentenced on Monday to 13 years imprisonment by Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire after he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter for the murder of his wife.
Senior State Prosecutor, Prithima Kissoon accepted the plea that was changed from murder last month.
The case presented to the court was that on October 14, 2008 Nicholson hacked his wife Trevlyn Amelia Kingston-Nicholson, 24, to death. A post-mortem examination performed by Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan proved that the woman died from multiple incised wounds, shock and haemorrhage.
Nicholson was represented by attorney-at-law, Tanya Clement who told the court that her client never intended to murder the woman.
Asked what he had to say before being sentenced, Nicholson, reading from a piece of paper said that he was sorry for what happened and that he knew he had to face the consequences of his actions.
He described the event as a “contrary triangle” and said he and his wife shared a happy marriage but felt provocation caused the devil to come between them.
Justice George-Wiltshire asked whether he knew about domestic violence and at first he said no.
He then told her he had an idea and that he learnt about it while in prison from members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and others.
In a report submitted by Probation and Welfare Officer, Maureen Thomas, the court heard that Nicholson, the sixth of 11 siblings was taken out of school when he was 14-years-old, due to family conflicts. He was sent to live with an uncle on his cattle ranch in the Abary Creek and helped to take care of the cattle until age 24.
He then went into the interior to work as a pork-knocker. One year later he returned to Rosignol and was involved in a common law relationship with a woman from Weldaad and they have a 12-year-old daughter.
After that he met Trevlyn and they started living together. Residents described him as a quiet, hard working helpful and dedicated person.
Trevlyn’s mother, Roleen Alexander of Rosignol had said that her daughter met her demise following an argument with her husband over a text message that was sent to his phone.
Before that, Alexander who had returned to her daughter’s house at D’ Edward Village after taking Shemmar to the health centre, said her son-in-law left to go to the Cotton Tree school with a fork to assist his brother with some work.
Trevlyn had gone to the seaside to check on their cows and when her husband returned home and learnt that she was there he went in search
of her.
A few minutes later Roleen got a message that he was beating her and she went and brought her home.
Andy followed them and attempted to plunge the fork into Trevlyn but Alexander jumped between them and the fork connected with three fingers on her left hand.
The enraged man then reached for a chopper and dealt Alexander several wounds.
As this was happening, her daughter took the opportunity to run out of the yard and through a short alleyway.
Her husband pursued her after grabbing a cutlass and caught up with her on the PNC Dam. By the time she reached the “church bridge” she could not run anymore and fell. She was unable to get up as he rained chops on her.
With blood trickling from her wounds, especially one on her right temple, Alexander, too, screamed for mercy.
The distressed mother had said she watched helplessly from a resident’s yard and listened to her daughter pleading for her life with every chop until she took her last breath.
Police detective Duke Jacque who was visiting relatives saw what transpired and pursued the accused who escaped towards the sea-dam with the murder weapon in hand. The following day he surrendered in the company of his lawyer.
