Mother who fed her 2 children rat poison appeals 98-year jail sentence.

30-year-old Hofosawa Awena Rutherford, the mother who killed her two young children by feeding them rat poison, has filed an appeal against her 98-jail sentence for manslaughter.

The matter was scheduled for hearing on Monday morning, but due to certain administrative issues, had to be adjourned until further notice.

Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory-Barnes and Rishi Persaud will be the presiding Judges.

The appellant, Rutherford, is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Dexter Smartt while Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (ADPP) Teshana Lake is presenting the State’s case.

Following a trial before Justice Navindra Singh at the Demerara High Court in 2018, Rutherford was found guilty on two counts of manslaughter for the killing of her four-year-old daughter Hodaciea Cadogan and her one-year-old son Jabari Cadogan Jr.

Jabari Cadogan

For the killing of Hodascia Cadogan, she was sentenced to 45 years in jail; while for the killing of Jabari, she was ordered to serve 53 years in prison. The prison terms were ordered to be served consecutively, meaning that her cumulative sentence is 98 years.

Hodaciea Cadogan

The two children died on March 27, 2014, moments after Rutherford administered carbon tablets—a pesticide commonly used for killing rats—to them.

She had claimed that she thought that she had given them cold medication. Rutherford was herself hospitalised for some time after drinking the tablets also.

Meanwhile, Justice Singh had questioned why the woman was indicted for the lesser count of manslaughter, since according to him, the evidence clearly pointed to murder.