Sophia Man Gets Life for Killing Sleeping Partner
December 6 2025
The Demerara High Court on Friday imposed a life sentence on a Sophia man who brutally stabbed his girlfriend to death while she slept, bringing a tragic 2023 case of domestic violence to a close.
Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif delivered the sentence against 25-year-old Linden Benjamin, who admitted to killing 31-year-old Lisa George in a frenzied attack at her C Field, Sophia home.
He will become eligible for parole after serving 30 years of his sentence.
Benjamin had pleaded guilty in September to the capital offence, acknowledging that he stabbed George 25 times in the early hours of April 26, 2023, while her two young children lay beside her.
He appeared before the court again on Friday to be sentenced.
State Counsel Darin Chan and Latifa Elliot painted a disturbing picture of the events that unfolded inside the home that morning.
They stressed that the victim was asleep and totally vulnerable, and that Benjamin used “a dangerous and deadly weapon… to wit, a knife.” They told the court that the nature of the attack, combined with Benjamin’s behaviour afterward, left no sign of remorse.
Chan noted that the case underscored the ongoing crisis of intimate-partner violence facing the country. “Too frequently these incidents are happening; we have a duty to protect women in society,” he said. He urged the court to send a message with its ruling.
“Your Honour, justice must speak loudly today. It must reach every home, every community, and every man who believes that a woman’s life is his to threaten, his to injure, or his to take,” he told the judge.
“This sentence must say to all men that the women of this country are entitled to safety, dignity, and life, and that the courts will protect that right without hesitation.”
Defense counsel Buelah Williams appealed for a measure of leniency, asking the court to consider the emotional impact on Benjamin’s family, particularly his mother. She argued that imprisonment should also allow opportunities for rehabilitation.
But Justice Chandra-Hanif, after reviewing the aggravating and mitigating factors, said she found the lack of remorse “alarming.”
She described the attack as “persistent and merciless,” adding, “He should have walked away… There is no remorse; he needs to be held accountable for his actions.”
She ordered that Benjamin serve life in prison, becoming eligible for parole only after serving 30 years, minus time already spent on remand.
The court heard deeply emotional statements from George’s relatives. Her sister, Lauren George, said through tears, “Lisa was my rock. She did not deserve to die like that. I hope he spends life in prison.”
Her teenage son, who witnessed the attack and continues to grapple with the trauma, told the court, “My mother was very loving and caring. I was in shock and fearful for my life. The incident keeps replaying in my head. When it comes to Christmas and birthdays, there is always an empty space in my heart.”
Statements from George’s parents echoed the same grief.
When Benjamin finally addressed the court, he claimed he had been mistreated in the relationship.
Showing no visible remorse, he said, “I wasn’t a good citizen. I wouldn’t disrespect her or her relatives. I used to be taken advantage of; I used to get beat. I never take anything to beat or hurt her. I apologize.”
According to the prosecution’s narrative, the fatal attack began after Benjamin demanded that George “open her phone,” a request she refused.
Later that night, she went to bed with her children, and sometime between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m., Benjamin armed himself with two knives and launched a sudden, savage attack.
After stabbing her 25 times, he made no attempt to seek assistance. As he tried to leave the bedroom, he was confronted by her father, Colin George, who stopped him until police arrived.
Benjamin was arrested and later charged with murder.
