‘Lil Man’ Jailed 20-yrs for Killing Pensioner

August 22 2025

A 26-year-old man will spend the next two decades behind bars after pleading guilty to murdering and burning a pensioner in what the court described as a “cruel and premeditated” act.

Justice Zamilla Ally-Seepaul handed down the sentence recently at the High Court in Demerara against Marco Seudatt, also known as “Lil Man” or “Bissoon,” of Fourth Street, Foulis, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Seudatt admitted to the unlawful killing of 72-year-old father of five, Mathura Etwaru, whose charred body was discovered on February 22, 2021, near the Huaxin Supermarket in Enmore, ECD.

A post-mortem revealed that Etwaru died from a combination of burns and neck compression.

Investigators pieced together the sequence of events through CCTV footage collected from the supermarket and surrounding buildings.

Around 2:46 a.m., the cameras captured an altercation between the pensioner and Seudatt, during which the younger man pushed Etwaru near a fence.

Footage later showed Seudatt piling cardboard boxes and setting them ablaze at approximately 3:12 a.m. He fled moments later on a motorcycle, leaving Etwaru to perish.

In passing sentence, Justice Ally-Seepaul said the crime was marked by “extreme cruelty.”

She stressed that Seudatt not only choked the elderly man but deliberately set him on fire before escaping, offering no assistance.

The judge underscored the emotional and psychological toll on Etwaru’s family, who remembered him as a kind and tolerant figure.

The court began with a base sentence of 30 years but deducted one-third because of Seudatt’s early guilty plea.

Other factors considered included his youth, clean criminal record, expression of remorse, and engagement in rehabilitation programmes while in custody.

Despite these mitigating elements, Justice Ally-Seepaul found the deliberate and vicious nature of the killing required a lengthy custodial penalty.

Prosecutors Praneta Seeraj, Christopher Belfield, and Nelissa Peterkin, appearing on behalf of the State, argued that the elderly victim’s vulnerability due to his age, and the offender’s admission of being under the influence of drugs at the time, further aggravated the crime.

Seudatt, who apologized to the victim’s relatives in court, will receive credit for the time he has already spent on remand. Prison officials also reported that his conduct in custody has been satisfactory.

Ultimately, Justice Ally-Seepaul said the punishment must reflect both the severity of the crime and society’s demand for justice. In the end, Seudatt was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.