‘Lil Alfey’ Sentenced to 20 Years for Aiding Murder

December 20 2025

A Demerara High Court judge has sentenced 29-year-old Seyon Kemo James to 20 years’ imprisonment for his role in the 2021 murder of taxi driver Kenrick Trim.

The sentence was imposed after the court weighed the seriousness of the crime against several aggravating and mitigating factors presented during sentencing.

James, also called “Lil Alfey,” a carpenter of Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, appeared before Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh on Wednesday after entering a guilty plea to the capital offence.

While James maintained that he did not inflict the fatal wounds, he accepted responsibility for his presence and participation in the chain of events that culminated in Trim’s death.

In outlining his decision, Justice Singh explained the structured, mathematical approach used to determine the sentence.

The court adopted a starting point of 40 years’ imprisonment, finding that the offence ranked at the upper end of seriousness due to its violent nature, the robbery involved, and the disposal of the victim’s body after the killing.

From that figure, the judge applied several deductions. James received a one-third reduction, amounting to 13⅓ years, for his early guilty plea, which spared the victim’s family the distress of a full trial and demonstrated a measure of accountability.

A further four years were deducted based on favourable probation and welfare reports, which described James as a compliant inmate who had engaged in rehabilitation programmes, including computer studies and family-reintegration planning.

Justice Singh also granted a deduction of three and two-thirds years after accepting that James had shown genuine remorse.

Reports before the court indicated that he acknowledged the gravity of the crime and expressed regret for his involvement.

However, the judge stressed that aggravating factors required additional penalties.

The judge added two years to reflect James’s participation in the offence, noting that although he did not stab Trim, he was present during the attack, remained with the principal offender and fled the scene.

An additional three years were imposed after the court considered victim impact statements, which detailed the profound emotional and financial hardship suffered by Trim’s family.

After balancing all factors, Justice Singh imposed a final sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, with time already spent in custody to be deducted.

Trim, a 53-year-old taxi driver from Belfield Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was the sole breadwinner for his household.

Following his death, one of his children was forced to leave school, while a granddaughter was transferred from private to public education.

His widow later began selling food from her home to survive.

Trim was found dead at Ogle, ECD, on June 31, 2021, after being choked, stabbed multiple times and robbed.

Investigations revealed that James and co-accused Kenty Bacchus, 38, had entered Trim’s taxi in Georgetown before Bacchus carried out the fatal attack.

Only a day earlier, Bacchus was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment for the murder, with the court citing the brutality of the crime and its devastating impact on the victim’s family.

He will also be credited for the time he has already spent on remand.

During sentencing, Justice Singh was told that Bacchus has previous convictions for possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

On one occasion, he was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment, and on another he was fined $57,000 or, in default, ordered to serve three months in prison.