Clebert Reece, one of two men who pleaded guilty to manslaughter after the massacre of 12 persons at Bartica on February 17, 2008, was yesterday sentenced to 35 years in jail.
Reece, called ‘Chi Chi,’ and Michael Caesar were initially indicted on 12 charges of murder. Both men had indicated their desire to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, which was accepted by the State. Three other accused are currently on trial for the murders, while Caesar’s sentencing is set for December 16th at the High Court in Georgetown.
Reece accepted that on February 17, 2008, at Bartica, he unlawfully killed Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir and Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne, along with Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian, Irving Ferreira, Deonarine Singh, Ronald Gomes, Ashraf Khan, Abdool Yasseen, Errol Thomas, and Baldeo Singh.