A 31-year-old miner of Kato Village, North Pakaraima, Region Eight (Potaro – Siparuni), was on Tuesday jailed nine years imprisonment for the 2015 Boxing Day murder of a gold miner.
Elvis Felix, also known as ‘Blondie,’ was initially indicted for murder, but opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter when he appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Suddie.
The father of two admitted that on December 26, 2015, he unlawfully killed 28-year-old Ryan Simon.
The State was represented by Counsel Lisa Cave who contended that the men had a misunderstanding, which later led to a scuffle.
After the scuffle, Felix left the scene and returned with a cutlass, dealt Simon several chops about the body and made good his escape. He was later arrested at Mahdia, where he handed over the murder weapon to the police. Reports are that Felix had accused the now dead man of “talking his name.”
A report which was gathered by a Probation Officer revealed that Felix has expressed remorse for his action and pleaded with the court for mercy as his two children are now left in the care of his elderly parents.
Notwithstanding, the probation officer advised the court to deal with the matter in a way that sends a strong message to society that such violent behaviour will not be tolerated.
In arriving at an appropriate sentence for Felix, Justice Kissoon considered the aggravating and mitigating factors as well as the time he spent in pre-trial custody, which amounted to four years.
