A miner who was charged with murdering his wife in 2019 was sentenced to 29 years imprisonment by Justice Zamilla Ally-Seepaul at the High Court in Demerara.
Sherlock James, a gold miner, fatally stabbed his wife, 46-year-old Vinnette Headley-James, during an argument at their Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara home, which she shared with James and three of their eight children.
The argument reportedly stemmed from James accusing Headley-James of having an extra-marital relationship. James, who worked in the interior, would normally spend long periods away from home. He returned home on August 17, 2019, and reportedly accused his wife of having an extra-marital relationship.
Police enquiries revealed that the couple had an argument on the preceding Sunday and James assaulted his wife and fled the scene. He returned several days later and another argument ensued which resulted in Headley-James being stabbed.
The couple’s eldest daughter told detectives that Headley-James was in the process of putting her husband’s clothes in the yard for him to remove from the house.
“He [James] told her [his wife] not to do the same and threatened to kill her,” the daughter told police.
However, Headley-James continued her actions and this enraged James. He then went into the kitchen, armed himself with a knife and stabbed her in the neck.
An autopsy later showed that Headley-James died as a result of multiple stab wounds.
Justice Ally-Seepaul told James that the starting point for an offence of this type is 35 years, however considering the time he spent on remand and the fact that he had no prior record, she deducted 5 years from his sentence.
Considering the mitigating and aggravating factors, she sentenced James to 29 years imprisonment.
