Gold miner gets 2 more years in jail for 2014 bus park killing

Gold miner Orin Jerrick of Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD), who confessed to killing a father of three in 2014, has been sentenced to serve at least two more years imprisonment.

The 38-year-old man was arraigned last month before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the High Court in Demerara where he pleaded guilty to the offence of manslaughter.

He was initially indicted for the capital offence of murder.

Jerrick admitted that on July 14, 2014, at the Plaisance Bus Park, Georgetown, he unlawfully killed 35-year-old minibus driver Gavin Fiffee of Sideline Dam, Beterverwagting, ECD.

“I need justice for my son’s death. This was cold-blooded murder. My son didn’t deserve to die in this manner. I’m hurt with pain to know that my son was hurt for no reason,” said the grieving mother of Fiffee during Jerrick’s sentencing hearing on Tuesday.

The mother asked the court to sentence her son’s killer to death or life in prison. Fiffee was the only child for his mother; his father has about 12 other children.

Jerrick, in his address to the court, begged the Judge for leniency and implored the dead man’s family for forgiveness. “I am very sorry for what happened,” Jerrick related.

Lawyer Konyo Sandiford-Holder, during a plea in mitigation on behalf of Jerrick, submitted that her client is a suitable candidate for rehabilitation. Counsel asked the Judge to “temper justice with mercy.”

For his part, State Counsel Muntaz Ali asked the court to consider the serious nature and prevalence of the offence when calculating a punishment for the confessed killer.

“A deadly weapon was used during the commissioning of this offence, and that is a knife. The deceased [Fiffee] was a young adult intentionally deprived of his right to live a full and successful life. After [Jerrick] stabbed [Fiffee], he fled the scene,” submitted Prosecutor Ali.

Justice Morris-Ramlall, in her sentencing remarks, pointed out that based on the agreed facts, Fiffee was the aggressor, having first attacked Jerrick with a cutlass.

“I have considered the impact the death of the deceased has had and continues to have on the relatives…” the Judge pointed out. According to her, Jerrick has expressed “genuine remorse” for his actions.

As such, Justice Morris-Ramlall commenced at the base of 18 years from which one-third (six years) was deducted for Jerrick’s early guilty plea. From the remaining 12 years, a further deduction of two years was made for mitigating factors, leaving 10 years.

Jerrick, who has been on remand for the past eight years, was given full credit for time spent in pre-trial custody, meaning that he has approximately two more years in prison.

State Counsel Simran Gajraj and State Counsel Taneisha Saygon were the other prosecutors.

According to reports, on the day in question, Fiffee was loading a minibus at the park when Jerrick began urinating on the vehicle’s wheel. This angered passengers, and Fiffee confronted Jerrick, during which a heated argument erupted between them.

Sometime after, Fiffee attacked Jerrick with a cutlass and Jerrick stabbed him with a knife.

The injured man rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, while Jerrick fled the scene but was later captured.

Jerrick was initially tried for Fiffee’s murder in 2016 and was sentenced to 28 years’ imprisonment after the jury found him guilty on the lesser offence of manslaughter.

His conviction and sentence were, however, overturned in 2020 by the Court of Appeal of Guyana which found that the trial Judge committed several errors in law which rendered his conviction unsafe.

As such, the case was remitted to the High Court for a new trial.

When the matter came up last month, Jerrick pleaded guilty to the lesser count.