Murder convict Ryan Robinson on Tuesday had his death sentence commuted and substituted with a jail term of 35 years by the Guyana Court of Appeal.
Robinson called “Bat ears” was found guilty of murdering Carol Ann Augustus, a mentally ill woman at Mahaica in 2005. In February, 2007 after the jury returned its verdict, the mandatory death sentence was imposed by the trial judge, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards.
The Court of Appeal after hearing the matter, dismissed the appeal against conviction and affirmed the conviction for murder. The court commuted the sentence of death to 35 years which takes effect from the date of conviction in the High Court.
Augustus, who was of unsound mind, went missing from her Sophia home in July 2005. Her body was later found floating in the Atlantic Ocean.
The High Court indictment said Robinson killed her sometime between July 21 and 22 and during the trial the prosecution admitted into evidence a caution statement he gave police saying that he had sexual intercourse with the woman, choked her and then pushed her into the ocean.
A post-mortem report said Augustus had been strangled and hit in the head. The prosecution had called a witness who said he had seen Robinson having sex with Augustus. The man had told the jury he was supposed to have taken his turn after Robinson was done, but it did not happen.
