THREE teens, who confessed to the murder of 75-year-old retired University of Guyana Professor, Pairadeau`Perry’ Mars, were on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, jailed by Justice Navindra Singh at the Demerara High Court.

The mastermind, Nikisha Dover, Orin McRae, both 19, and 18-year-old Naomi Adams were a part of a five-member teen-gang who were initially charged with murder. The three teens opted to plead to the lesser count of manslaughter.

The teens confessed that, on May 12, 2016, they unlawfully killed Mars at his Lot 395, Bissessar Avenue, Prashad Nagar home, during a robbery.

Dover and McRae were each sentenced to 12 years in jail and Adams was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Justice Singh ordered that the prison authorities deduct the time the teens spent on remand from their sentence.

Attorneys-at-law Mohamed Ali and Adrian Thompson represented Dover and McRae, while Adams was represented by attorney Mark Conway. The state was represented by prosecutors Tuanna Hardy, Teriq Mohamed, and Sarah Martin.

Currently on remand awaiting commencement for trial into Mars murder are Timothy Paul Chance and Andre Benjamin.

Mars was killed by a gang of teens who reportedly beat and bound him in his home. The professor was found in his home by his wife with his hands and feet duct-taped and with injuries to his head.

The house was ransacked, and several articles and cash were missing. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a private hospital.

The five accused at that time were between the ages of 15 and 18 and reportedly confessed to the murder/ robbery while in police custody.

According to reports, the teens were known to Professor Mars and were arrested after neighbours observed the group leaving the retired professor’s residence with suitcases and entering a car.

Less than 24 hours after committing the crime, the teens were arrested by the police and a large sum of cash, a laptop computer, phone, iPod and PlayStation that were taken from Mars’s home were recovered.

A post-mortem performed on Mars had revealed that death was due to manual strangulation, compounded by multiple fractures to the head and face.

On Tuesday, Prosecutor Hardy, during her address to the court, asked the judge to impose a sentence on the three teens which will reflect the nature and gravity of the offence.
Hardy told the court the Dover was the mastermind behind the whole crime since she had lived next door to Professor Mars while growing up and had knowledge about his home layout.

Meanwhile, as Dover watched as her co-accused ransacked the home, McRae stole Mars’ PlayStation and Adams took away his cell phone.

In a plea of mitigation, Dover’s attorney, Mohamed Ali, told the court that the teen is a High School dropout and was charged for the indictment when she was 17 years old.
According to the attorney, Dover was attending anger management classes in prison and was trying to better herself so that she could be reformed.

Prosecutor Hardy, however, told the court that Dover dropped out of school and ran away from her home and was living with a boy in Sophia. However, Dover, the prosecutor said is involved in another gang while in prison.

“I just want to say that I’m sorry for everything,” Dover said with tears rolling down her cheeks as she addressed the Judge before sentencing.

“People is look at you as a bad woman” the teen added as she explained that she would like to complete her secondary education and study hard to work in childcare to stand out from the ‘bad woman’ label.

McRae’s attorney, Adrian Thompson, in mitigation, told the court that his client made a foolish decision due to peer pressure and his incarceration showed him that crime was not the way.

However, Prosecutor Hardy told the court that McRae made a conscious decision to be a part of the group and was known for being involved in gangs and fights, especially while behind bars.

Additionally, Hardy informed the court that McRae had injured one of his co-accused during the Magisterial Proceeding of the matter. In court, McRae apologised to the Mars family for the hurt his actions had caused.

Meanwhile, Adams’ attorney, Mark Conway, told the court that his client lost her mother when she was 12 years old and was raised by her elderly grandmother.
At age 15, Adams was charged with the indictment of murder and, during her time on remand, she was attending church services and also anger management classes.
Prosecutor Hardy told the court that Adams was frequently absent from school and did not get to finish her Secondary School education.

“I know it’s hard to lose someone you love” Adams cried out as she apologised to the deceased family.
Justice Singh after listening to the teens and the prosecutor said “This is a very sad case. Here I have in front of me three persons who are still children… It’s disturbing how they got into this situation.”

Singh urged the teens to further their education and to use the time behind bars to study and complete their CSEC examination.