21–Y-O  Sentenced to Five Years for Fatally Stabbing Brother

November 28 2025

Twenty-one-year-old Gragery Miguel has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for unlawfully killing his brother, Wilfred Stephen, during a family dispute in Kumu Village, Central Rupununi.

Miguel had previously pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter before Chief Justice (ag) Navindra Singh at the High Court in Demerara.

He was initially indicted for murder but opted to accept responsibility for the reduced charge after consulting with his attorney, Madan Kissoon.

 The case was prosecuted by State Counsel Christopher Belfield, assisted by State Counsel Praneta Seeraj and State Counsel Geneva Wills.

According to the facts outlined in court, the fatal encounter occurred on the night of July 31, 2023.

The brothers—who had been estranged for months—were drinking with relatives at their uncle’s home when an argument broke out around 9:00 p.m.

Although the disagreement appeared to settle, tensions resurfaced later that night at their mother’s home, where Stephen had gone to collect food.

A confrontation involving the brothers’ stepfather prompted Stephen to intervene to protect his mother. Miguel then confronted him, and another scuffle ensued.

Their mother separated the pair, but Miguel ran into a nearby house, armed himself with a steel-point arrow, and chased after Stephen.

When Stephen fell, Miguel stabbed him in the right side of his back before fleeing. Stephen died from his injuries about an hour later.

The family, facing limited access to communication and transportation, was unable to immediately alert authorities.

Police arrived around 2:00 a.m. on August 1, 2023, and Stephen’s body was transported to the Lethem Regional Hospital.

Miguel was arrested the following day and, in a video-recorded statement, admitted to the stabbing but said he had been intoxicated and did not intend to kill his brother.

A post-mortem examination determined that the steel-point arrow penetrated Stephen’s chest cavity, severing major blood vessels and causing fatal internal bleeding.

In determining the sentence, Chief Justice Singh began with a starting point of 24 years.

He deducted eight years for Miguel’s early guilty plea, five years based on a favourable probation report, three years for his expression of genuine remorse, and another three years due to his youthful age.

This resulted in a final sentence of five years’ imprisonment, with credit to be given for the time he has already spent on remand.