Georgetown: Two months after the Appeal Court ordered a fresh trial for murder
accused Terry Kissoon Justice Sandil Kissoon is expected to impose a sentence for
manslaughter on former death row inmate Terry Kissoon who appealed his case and
face a retrial. The sentenced will be handed down on November 8, 2018.
The defendant was indicted twice at the High Court on charges of murdering Troy Smith between July 30 and 31, 2010, at Smith’s Thomas Street, Kitty, Georgetown residence.
He denied the charge on both occasions. However, Police reports that chronicled the events had stated that the two men ended up in a heated confrontation after Kissoon had accused Smith of stealing his motorcycle.
It was highlighted that Kissoon gave Smith 24 hours to return the motorcycle but then he allegedly took out a handgun and shot Smith in the abdomen before reportedly making his escape.
During his first trial, Kissoon was unanimously found guilty and issued the death penalty in 2013 by Justice Diana Insanally, before that decision was challenged and eventually overturned by the Appeals Court in July 2018.
As such, a fresh trial was ordered and the matter came up during the ongoing session of the Demerara Criminal Assizes. During the proceedings which lasted over a week, State Counsels Lisa Cave and Orinthia Schmidt prosecuted the matter, closing their case last Monday.
On Thursday last, Justice Kissoon summed up the trial evidence before handing the matter to the jury for deliberation. After several hours of consideration, the panel returned with a 10-2 guilty verdict, finding the offender guilty of the lesser count of manslaughter. This means that the former death row inmate will be handed a commuted sentence. He was represented by Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos during the most recent trial.
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