A 12-MEMBER jury on Wednesday afternoon found Agricola man, Jermaine Savory guilty for the 2008 murder of Melissa Payne in the said village. But his sentencing has been deferred to await a probation report.

The jury came to the decision following several hours of deliberations and then returning to the courtroom for further directions from trial judge James Bovell-Drakes. After the verdict was announced in the Georgetown High Court defence attorney Cherise Dowding asked that a probation report be prepared before the sentencing. As such, Justice Bovell-Drakes adjourned the sentencing for January 15, 2018 at 09:00hrs. After the verdict, the accused said “I am innocent of the charge.”

According to the state’s case, it is alleged that on November 5, 2008 at Agricola, East Bank Demerara, Savory murdered Melissa Payne of Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara on Agricola Public Road. According to reports, Payne was killed after she attempted to put up a fight with gunmen who attacked her and a male friend, at Agricola Public Road, at about 08:30hrs on November 5, 2008.

The gunmen escaped with some $110,000 in cash that was in the woman’s bag along with her jewellery. At the time of the robbery, she was in the company of a male friend, David Fraser, as they were heading to Georgetown to conduct business.

It is reported that as they approached Agricola, the Canter truck in which they were travelling encountered mechanical problems. Fraser came out and tried to fix the truck, as Payne stood and watched him. A few moments later, a man came up to them with a gun and demanded their money.  The armed man snatched Fraser’s gold chain and attempted to pull away Payne’s handbag. She attempted to turn back and go to the truck, but was stopped in her tracks by the other bandit, who demanded the bag from Payne but the woman resisted and the armed man shot and killed her.

In November 2008, Savory of 97 Second Street, Agricola, was charged with the murder of Payne. Savory reportedly confessed to sleuths that he had participated in the robbery but was not the trigger man. The state was represented by Mandel Moore and Narissa Leander, while the defence attorney was Maxwell McKay in association with Cherise Dowding.

Use photo of the deceased saved in a file in Graphics as Melissa Payne and Jermaine Savory.