Manslaughter convict handed life sentence

(L-Convicted killer: Noel Rodrigues, R- Otis Mc Curdy)

Noel Rodrigues was on Tuesday afternoon sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice Navindra Singh after a 12-member jury found him guilty of manslaughter. According to the charge against him, on June 20, 2016, at Kurupung, Region Seven, he unlawfully killed Shawn McDonald, a pork knocker, of Amelia’s Ward, Linden.

According to reports, McDonald’s body was discovered in a metal container by a woman at his camp at Kurupung. Prior to his demise, reports are that he was seen imbibing at a shop with some men. Following the guilty verdict, Rodrigues who appeared via Zoom at the Essequibo High Court maintained that he was innocent.

While Justice Singh did not state when the convicted killer becomes eligible for parole, he ordered the prison authorities to deduct the time Rodrigues spent on remand from the sentence. Last week Wednesday, another man, Otis Mc Curdy was indicted for manslaughter over Mc Donald’s death.

He pleaded guilty to the lesser offence, and was in turn, sentenced to 10 years in prison by Justice Singh. After accepting Mc Curdy’s expression of remorse and considering mitigating and aggravating factors, the Judge imposed the sentence.

The judge further ordered the prison authorities to deduct the time he spent on remand from the sentence.