Sherwin Clarke is now awaiting sentencing, after admitting mid-trial that he did have a hand in the 2016 killing of Better Hope pensioner David Ramkissoon, into whose house he and others had gone to rob.
Clarke pleaded not guilty to the capital offence of murder on which he was arraigned last Thursday; following which a jury was empaneled to hear his trial, which commenced immediately after.
When the matter was called for continuation yesterday afternoon, however, Clarke indicated to trial Judge Sandil Kissoon, thorough his attorney Damian DaSilva, the new course he wanted to adopt, by pleading to manslaughter.
The charge was re-read to the offender and he admitted that on August 21st, 2016, at Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, in the company of others, he unlawfully killed Ramkissoon, 76, during the course of a robbery.
With both the Court and prosecution accepting the guilty plea to the lesser offence, Justice Kissoon then directed the jury to return a formal verdict of guilty against Clarke, who the judge explained had admitted the role he initially told investigators in a caution statement, that he played in the death of the elderly man.
Justice Kissoon said the offender admitted that he did indeed tell police that he and other persons had gone to the septuagenarian’s home where they bound and gagged him, beat and slit his throat, before robbing his house while his adult son and family were out.
The court heard of Clarke also known as “Hot Skull,” revealing that he had been given proceeds from the crime.
Justice Kissoon has deferred sentencing to June 30th, to first hear from a probation and other social impact reports.
The State was being represented by Prosecutors Taneisha Saygon and Muntaz Ali.
Two months ago, Clarke’s accomplice Godfrey Gill, called ‘Chucky,’ was sentenced to 11 years, four months in jail after admitting his role in the crime.
At his arraignment back in April, Gill pleaded not guilty to the capital offence, but admitted guilt to the lesser offence.
The facts presented by the State were that Gill and two others broke into the elderly man’s home while his family was out.
The court had heard that they encountered Ramkissoon, called ‘Dillip’ and ‘Short-man,’ whose throat they slit with a knife.
They then ransacked the house before carting off a quantity of cash, jewellery and other items.
Prosecutors had told the court that upon his return home, the man’s son found him in a kneeling position on the floor in a pool of blood.
The court had heard that during investigations, Gill would later admit to the police that he and two other persons had robbed and killed the man.
Prosecutors had said that Gill also related that they divided the money they had stolen, from which he got $25,000.
An autopsy revealed that Ramkissoon died from shock and haemorrhage, due to incised wounds to the head and neck.
The dead man’s daughter-in-law, Nalini, had previously related to this newspaper that she left him relaxing in their hammock, while the house was tightly secured.
The family had left to visit a creek along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway. According to her, hours later, she called the landline but the calls went unanswered.
When they returned home later that day, the house was in complete darkness, which they found to be quite unusual. Nalini had said her husband, Anand Ramkissoon, went to check on his father and found the house ransacked and his father dead.
There was a hole in the back fence, which the family suspected the bandits used to gain entry to the property.
