Noel Rodrigues was yesterday afternoon sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of the 2016 killing of miner, Shawn McDonald whose body was found in a metal tank at Kurupung, Region Seven.
Rodrigues had been on trial at the High Court at Suddie on a charge of manslaughter which stated that between June 18th and 19th of 2016, he unlawfully killed McDonald, who had been beaten by a group of men.
Following hours of deliberations, the 12-member jury returned with its unanimous verdict, finding Rodrigues guilty as charged.
When given a chance to speak, the unrepresented convict protested his innocence.
“I am totally innocent of this crime Ma’am,” he told the judge’s registrar when asked if he had anything to say as to why the court should not proceed to pass sentence.
Justice Navindra Singh then informed him that he would be sentenced to life in prison, but ordered that the prison authority deduct whatever time Rodrigues would have spent on remand awaiting trial.
When the case was called last Wednesday—another man—Otis McCurdy pleaded guilty, admitting that he was part of the group which had fatally beaten the pork knocker.
Justice Singh had sentenced him to 10 years behind bars.
Prosecutor Tiffini Lyken had said that on June 19th, 2016, McDonald’s body was found in a metal tank at his Kurupung, Region Seven mining camp.
An autopsy she said, revealed that he had died from haemorrhage and shock due to multiple injuries.
The court had heard from McCurdy that the now-dead man had been beaten with a piece of wood.
McDonald hailed from the mining town of Linden.
Stabroek News had previously reported that his death may have stemmed from several complaints made by a woman.
Other information had revealed that prior to his demise, he was seen imbibing at a shop where he reportedly brandished a cutlass at several individuals.
McDonald had last been seen returning to his camp.
