Days after he made his first appearance in the High Court to stand trial for the murder of his neighbour during a row over a gamecock, Mark Assing was yesterday sentenced to 66 years in prison for the crime.
Assing, 44, was found guilty of the 2012 killing of his neighbour Abiola Eadie, after a 12-member jury deliberated for nearly three hours. The jury’s decision came after 11 witnesses gave their evidence between Tuesday and Thursday. Amongst the witnesses were Eadie’s father, Lennox Jones; Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh, cousin of Eadie, Iesha George; and one of the dead woman’s neighbours, Onika Welch.
On Thursday, Assing’s lawyer, Peter Hugh, in his closing address, advised the jury not to trust the testimony of George. He further posited that George and the dead woman’s mother, Pamela Eadie, concocted a story to protect the real shooter, Terrence also known as ‘Buck Man’ who is Abiola’s brother.
In response, State Pro-secutor Judith Gildharie-Mursalin stated that George was a very credible witness and further said that Assing had never indicated at any time that the two women had any problems with him and thus any reason to come forward and lie against him.
Also on Thursday, Assing made a 48-minute unsworn statement in which he maintained his innocence. In the statement, Assing claimed that he noticed that his fowl was injured and blinded and had been quarrelling out loud about how persons should respect life. He further said that he did not eat flesh because he respected life.
Abiola, he went on, came out of her house but didn’t say anything to him. He claimed that her brother, ‘Buck Man’ then came up to him and asked, “Why you disrespecting my family?” Buck Man then hit him with a gun and the gun went off, shooting Abiola in the process, Assing said.
Assing said he ran off and Martin Barker, Abiola’s son, and Buck Man gave chase. However, as they chased him he heard two explosions and realized that Buck Man had shot Barker.
Assing added that, out of fear, he sought refuge in Albouystown and was subsequently given a place to hide in a family home in Canal Number 2, West Bank Demerara. It was there that he was subsequently arrested more than a year later.
Officer Quincy Grandison, who also testified during the trial, had told the court while on the stand that the police had received information from a resident of Canal Number 2 that a murder suspect was hiding out in an abandoned home in the area. Grandison and a party of officers went to the location and found Assing in the abandoned home, which he claimed belong to a relative.
During his unsworn statement Assing claimed that he was physically incapable of pulling a trigger. Assing held up his right hand, lifted his index finger and claimed that the finger could not bend. He added that he had been born that way.
After the guilty verdict was handed down, Assing was asked whether he had anything to say. He then begged the judge to be lenient with him. In his plea, he stated that he was a father of five girls and wished to have a chance to spend time with them.
Hugh, in a plea of mitigation, also asked Justice Navindra Singh to consider that Assing is 44-years-old. He further asked the judge to be merciful on Assing and give him a chance to be with his family again.
Justice Singh began with a sentence at 60 years and added on 8 years because a gun was used to commit the murder. He then subtracted 2 years after he considered the amount of time Assing spent on remand. Assing will be eligible for parole after 30 years.
Before he was sentenced, Prosecutor Gildharie-Mursalin informed the court that Assing had two previous convictions for armed robbery. However, Justice Singh was merciful on Assing and did not take his convictions into consideration.
In an address to Assing, Justice Singh noted that there was overwhelming evidence against him and, though he knew he was guilty, he had wasted the court’s time by not confessing. Justice Singh further said that Assing chose to deem the testimonies of the prosecution’s witnesses as untrue and blame the murder on someone else. All the eyewitnesses to the murder who testified denied that ‘Buck Man,’ who Assing accused of killing Abiola, was present in the area at the time of the shooting.
Assing’s wife broke down after the sentencing and soon afterwards one of his daughters was heard screaming loudly.
Abiola’s mother also broke down in tears, but hers were tears of joy. She stated that Abiola was her first-born and there was nothing that could bring her back. Nonetheless, she expressed joy at the justice meted out to Assing.
Yesterday, Assing had turned up in the prisoners’ dock with everything he had owned while in prison and had claimed that he was “going home”. After his verdict, Assing was shocked and began to weep in earnest. He was then forced to gather up his belongings and shuffle along slowly with his shackled feet to the prison van.
