“Chico” sentenced to life imprisonment for killing elderly man

March 31 2026

A 39-year-old man from Hampshire, Corentyne has been sentenced to life imprisonment after admitting to the killing of a 69-year-old businessman during a robbery.

Satish Ramnaris, called “Chico,” was sentenced by Justice Deborah Kumar-Chetty at the Berbice High Court, following his earlier guilty plea to the murder of Akhbar Sain.

The court heard that the fatal incident occurred on October 18, 2023, at Williamsburg, Corentyne, when Ramnaris broke into Sain’s supermarket intending to commit a robbery.

During the intrusion, the elderly businessman confronted him.

Ramnaris responded by arming himself with a piece of wood and repeatedly striking Sain about the head. The attack left the pensioner fatally injured. His body was later discovered by police.

Despite the violence, Ramnaris went on to take cash from the premises.

He was later found hiding behind a washing machine, where he was arrested, and the stolen money was recovered.

A post-mortem examination determined that Sain died from shock and cerebral haemorrhage caused by blunt force trauma, including a fractured skull and multiple injuries to the head and face.

During sentencing, Ramnaris expressed remorse and asked the court for leniency, stating that he committed the act out of desperation to provide for his children.

In delivering the sentence, Justice Kumar-Chetty highlighted the seriousness of the offence, noting the level of violence inflicted and the vulnerability of the elderly victim.

The court also considered the impact such crimes have on communities, particularly small business owners.

While the judge took into account the guilty plea and expressions of remorse, she ruled that the aggravating factors outweighed any mitigating circumstances.

Ramnaris was sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 20 years before becoming eligible for parole.

The court ordered that the convict be credited for the time already spent on remand.