23 years for killing 75-year-old woman
Sentenced: Kevon Alfred
Sentenced: Kevon Alfred

…judge says he didn’t think accused was remorseful

KEVON Alfred,26,was on Tuesday morning sentenced to 23 years imprisonment for the 2014 murder of 75-year-old Joyce Lewis, having changed his plea to guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

Alfred told the court that on March 25, 2014, he borrowed a car and left his West Bank Demerara home for the city to visit his sister’s residence as a result of a telephone call he received from her.

She had telephoned Alfred to say that it was her birthday and she was hosting a party and in preparation for it, she wanted his help.

He added that while on his way to the location, he encountered a friend and they had a conversation in which the ‘friend’ indicated he was going to Bartica the following day and he would like the accused to “drop him”.

Alfred told the court that he agreed and on March 26, 2014, while he was at his sister’s home at North/East La Penitence, the same friend came there at about 04:15hrs and told him he was ready to go.

The accused stated that they left in the car and the friend whom he identified as one Cordell Eastman called “Gaza,” who is in prison said he wanted to stop at his girlfriend’s house to collect something and they went to some place in ‘South.’

Alfred said he was in the car waiting for some time and after his friend failed to return, he went into the house to look for him and saw him “running around the big lady” and he returned to the car.

He told the court that he did not report the matter because he was afraid, since the friend had threatened him and said he was sorry for what happened.

In his plea of mitigation, defence attorney George Thomas said that his client was only 26 years old and had been a model prisoner and was regretful.

However,Justice Navindra Singh in response said that he didn’t feel the accused was remorseful and considering the circumstances of the offence, he sentenced Alfred to 23 years in jail.

The state’s case, which was led by Abigail Gibbs, was that on March 25-26, 2014, at the North Ruimveldt home of the deceased Joyce Lewis, 75, an unwanted guest entered the house via a window.

She said he ransacked the entire house and removed the victim’s cell phone and music set, but not before tying her ankles and hands and strangling her.

Gibbs added that the intruder made a telephone call to a witness from the victim’s home using her telephone, stating that he had some items to sell.But that witness was not interested.

She told the court that the unwanted guest left his fingerprints at the scene. He also took away the victim’s cell phone and music set.

The state was represented by Abigail Gibbs in association with Tiffini Lyken and Narissa Leander.

It was alleged that the home of septuagenarian Joyce Lewis, of Christaini Street, North Ruimveldt, was broken into and she was strangled to death during that home invasion.

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2 thoughts on “23 years for killing 75-year-old woman”

  1. A fitting sentence . He took the life of an Innocent Woman. He had no sympathy.. We need a prison in the deep interior of Guyana.

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