Port Kaituma carpenter Tyron James is now awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to the 2018 killing of his reputed wife, Evadnee Baptiste, with whom he became enraged after seeing her dancing with another man.
At his arraignment before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the High Court in Demerara earlier this month, James admitted to cuffing the mother of his children in her head, causing her to sustain injuries from which she later died.
He had originally been indicted for murder to which he pleaded not guilty.
He, however, admitted guilt on the lesser offence of manslaughter, accepting that he had unlawfully killed the woman on July 15th, 2018 at Port Kaituma Waterfront, North West District.
According to the case presented by the prosecution which was accepted by the defence, on the day in question at about 16:00 hours, both James and Baptiste were imbibing at the waterfront location.
During that time, James noticed his wife dancing with another man.
The case led by prosecutor Caressa Henry detailed that an enranged James approached the woman and dealt her a cuff to her head; the force from which she fell to the ground.
Baptiste was subsequently rushed for medical attention, but died later that day.
According to the autopsy report presented to the court, the deceased suffered subscalpular haemorrhage to the front of her head as well as the right side of the back of the head and died from brain haemorrhage due to blunt trauma.
She also suffered fractures to the middle of her skull.
The prosecution said that the evidence of blunt trauma to the deceased’s head was consistent with the injuries she sustained and the pathologist’s finding of the cause of death.
James, prosecutors say, admitted to investigators under caution “officer, I did cuff she but I don’t know where I cuff, she.”
Justice Sewnarine-Beharry has deferred sentencing to February 5th to first hear from a probation and other social impact reports.
The offender is being represented by defence attorney Teriq Mohamed.
