Linden Farmer gets 13 years for killing labourer

Richard Martin, a farmer from Wismar, Linden has been handed a 13-year prison sentence, with credit for time served on remand, for the death of Bourda Market labourer Ovid Chester.

The punishment was imposed on Wednesday. Known as “Mike”, Martin, 54, originally facing a murder charge, opted to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter during his trial at the Demerara High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall in February.

In his confession, Martin acknowledged unlawfully killing 52-year-old Ovid Chester on September 2, 2020, at Bourda Market, Georgetown.

Represented by Attorney-at-Law Domnick Bess, Martin’s guilty plea was accepted mid-trial, with State Counsel Praneta Seeraj and State Counsel Simran Gajraj prosecuting the case.

Reports suggest that Martin and Chester were acquainted and had a dispute over a construction net Martin had given Chester to sell. The disagreement escalated into a physical altercation, during which Martin fatally stabbed Chester in the chest with a knife.

Upon the arrival of law enforcement at the scene, Martin was promptly taken into custody.

Ovid Chester, also known as “Spade” or “Brucky”, resided at South Vryheid Lust, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and worked as a labourer in Bourda Market before his untimely demise.