‘Max’ Sentenced to Life in Prison for Fatally Stabbing “Baccoo”
February 18 2025- Shaquille Foulkes, also known as ‘Max,’ has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2020 murder of 43-year-old fish vendor Hanuman Jadunauth, called ‘Baccoo.’
Justice Navindra Singh handed down the sentence on Monday at the Demerara High Court after a jury found Foulkes guilty last month. The 34-year-old offender must serve 33 years before becoming eligible for parole.
Dead: Hanuman Jadunauth
While delivering the sentence, Justice Singh explained the calculations behind the parole period.
He began with a base sentence of 30 years but granted a five-year reduction based on a favourable probation report. However, the judge added five years due to the cruelty of the crime and another three years for Foulkes’ prior conviction for armed robbery.
Court records show that Foulkes was previously sentenced to 28 months in prison in 2018 for an armed robbery conviction.
The prosecution, led by attorneys Christopher Belfield and Muntaz Ali, presented compelling video footage that captured the victim’s final moments.
The footage showed Foulkes walking alongside Jadunauth on March 30, 2020. In the recording, the fish vendor was seen carrying a water bottle, which Foulkes reportedly instructed him to fetch.
The video also showed Foulkes striking Jadunauth while he carried the bottle.
Additional footage captured Foulkes walking along Swan Street, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD), with a knife in his hand.
The following morning, police responded to a report on Swan Street and found Jadunauth lying unconscious with multiple stab wounds to his chest, neck, and body. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police apprehended Foulkes on April 2, 2020. During questioning, he admitted to being the person seen in the surveillance footage but claimed the knife belonged to someone else. He further stated that he had disposed of the weapon in a trench at the end of the street.
Although Foulkes led investigators to the location where he said he discarded the knife, officers were unable to recover the weapon.
Eyewitnesses testified that they saw Foulkes with the victim prior to the murder and later observed him holding a knife.
Despite the evidence, Foulkes maintained his innocence throughout the trial. He claimed he had gone directly to his aunt’s home in Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD), after attending a party on the night of the incident.
He also denied residing in Pouderoyen, despite leading police to a residence there during the investigation.
Foulkes was represented by attorney Lawrence Harris.
With the life sentence imposed, Foulkes will now spend a minimum of 33 years behind bars before parole can be considered.
