Former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) captain Orwain Sandy was yesterday handed a life sentence for the slaying of his partner Reona Payne, whom he shot more than a dozen times back in 2018.
Justice Sandil Kissoon, who described the woman’s killing as “heinous and brutal,” noted that a strong message needed to be sent to potential offenders as he ordered that Sandy spend no less than 20 years before becoming eligible for parole.
During the virtual Zoom hearing the judge told a seemingly remorseful Sandy that his actions were “despicable,” “unjustifiable,” “inexcusable” and, contrary to his attorney’s contentions, “unprovoked,” when he took Payne’s life in a hail of bullets.
The mother of three was shot 14 times, including at least once to the head.
In an impassioned plea for mercy and to be given “a second chance,” a well-spoken Sandy in a half hour long address to the court said that he was very sorry for his actions, which he repeatedly attributed to a “meltdown.”
He said that not only had he disappointed himself and family, but the woman’s children and other loved ones, the GDF and, as a serviceman, his country at large, for which he said he was sincerely sorry.
Sandy, who according to prison records is the pioneer of programmes aimed at engendering behavioural change on domestic violence issues among inmates, said many have questioned what could have driven a seemingly accomplished and respected individual such as him to have acted as he did.
According to Sandy, “I observe one commonality—mental illness.”
He opined that often when youths react with violence, they may well be crying out for help as he again stated that he suffered a mental breakdown on the fateful day. “You never think it will happen to you until you’re in too deep,” Sandy said.
To young men and women who looked up to him as a mentor, and who may one day have aspirations of becoming a member of the GDF Sandy apologised, while stating that his actions are by no means a reflection of the character, standard and calibre of the armed forces.
He admonished that their greatest endeavour should be to “serve humanity.”
The 38-year-old, who from behind bars leads a group dubbed “Prisoners of Hope,” said that he has had time to reflect upon his actions, the consequences of which he says he understands and for which he takes full responsibility.
“I had a mental breakdown,” he said again, while adding that the actions he displayed that day were not a true representation of his character, even as he begged the judge for lenience.
As he neared the end of his oration, a tearful Sandy said that men often struggle with an inability to channel their feelings and emotions in the right direction, but expressed the hope that he would be given the opportunity of a second chance to combat social ills such as domestic and intimate partner violence as rehabilitative steps for his reintegration to society one day.
“I am really sorry,” the father of one said.
‘Didn’t get to say I love her’
Meanwhile, Payne’s husband, Richard Beveney, and two of their three children told the court that they are all finding it difficult moving on without her as they said she is dearly missed.
In his victim impact statement, Beveney said that he and Payne had been married for 12 years and were separated six years before her demise. He said because of her loss, his health and wellbeing and that of their children have been greatly affected.
In their address to the court, the couple’s teenage son and nine-year-old daughter—their youngest—alluded to the brutal way in which she was killed and taken from them. The son said he expected better from Sandy, whom he described as acting out and taking advantage of his mother.
“I didn’t get to say I love her, or hug her,” the tearful lad said, while calling for justice for his mother.
In a mitigating plea on behalf of his client, defence attorney Ravindra Mohabir said that Sandy has no antecedents or pending matters and asked the court to consider that he had fully cooperated with the police from the inception.
He reminded that it was Sandy who had turned himself in.
He asked, too, that the man’s early plea, which saved the court considerable time and resources be taken into account also, as well as the time he would have spent behind bars awaiting trial.
Mohabir had sought to advance that his client had been provoked by Payne, but the judge said that counsel failed to establish the elements needed to satisfy such a defence.
Justice Kissoon said that he needed to establish that Sandy was “temporarily deprived of reason” and not just acting out in the course of an argument.
Notwithstanding Mohabir’s mitigating pleas and Sandy’s lengthy address, however, Prosecutor Lisa Cave reminded that a life had been lost by the acts of domestic violence, which have become prevalent.
She asked the judge to impose a sentence that would reflect the nature and gravity of the offence while at the same time sending a strong message of deterrence to potential like-minded offenders. “This trend of men killing women has to stop,” the prosecutor asserted.
‘Doesn’t accord’
The judge said that after considering the mitigating and aggravating factors, the latter of which he said were overwhelming, an appropriate sentence was life behind bars. He further ordered that a minimum of 20 years must be served before Sandy becomes eligible for parole.
Justice Kissoon said that the scourge of domestic violence will not be condoned in any form, even as he noted that parents had lost a child and children their mother.
“Your conduct doesn’t accord with the expectations of society as a serviceman and gentlemen,” Justice Kissoon added.
Last Monday, Sandy was indicted for murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, admitting that on March 31st, 2018, he unlawfully killed Payne at First Street, Alexander Village.
He was a captain in the GDF at the time.
The prosecution’s facts were that on the morning in question, at about 10:40, the two, who shared a common-law relationship, were arguing with each other as they drove along First Street, Alexander Village.
Cave had said that at some point during the journey Sandy parked the car and was seen a few feet from the left side door with his 9mm service pistol, pulling Payne from the vehicle.
The court had heard that Payne resisted but Sandy was seen continually pulling her before she eventually fell out of the car.
Cave said that shortly after, Sandy aimed the gun at Payne and fired a shot.
According to the prosecutor, Sandy was then seen pausing for about five to six seconds before firing several more shots at Payne after which he entered his vehicle and drove to the nearby Ruimveldt Police Station, where he told police what he had done to Payne.
The lawmen then rushed to the scene, where they discovered the woman’s motionless body bearing several gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The prosecutor said that 14 spent shells were later recovered by crime scene ranks.
An autopsy would subsequently confirm that Payne died of multiple gunshot injuries. She sustained one of those 14 shots to the middle of her forehead.
Sandy, in his account of the events, related to the court that he and Payne were in a heated argument about a call he had instructed her to place to another male, whom she was instructed to no longer call.
He said that after the call, Payne began arguing with him and “scrambled the steering wheel and his gun.”
His story is that he enquired from her why she had scrambled his gun and he told her that she had to “move on.”
He said that as a result, “she wind down the window and started to scream and threw my gun out the window.”
According to Sandy, he then stopped the vehicle and picked up his gun and went back into the car, while noting that when he went back into the car, Payne jumped out of the car. He said that he then “went back round to her side of the vehicle and shot her several times and she fell to the ground.”
