RICHARD Stanton, who was in prison for the past three years and three months walked out of the Demerara High Court a free man Wednesday evening after a 12-member jury found him not guilty of the 2015 execution-style murder of Patricia Sanasie.
A relieved and smiling Stanton was surrounded by family members and others were in loud praises to God as he walked out the courtroom after being told by the trial judge that he was free to go. Stanton told reporters that he is feeling good and that God has proven that he is great, since God knows he is innocent of the crime for which he was indicted.
He said, “I am not a criminal and may the family get some justice the right way and you know when man disappoint, God does appoint and I love you all.” He made this disclosure before he was spirited away by his relatives who were more than pleased to shower him with hugs and kisses on Wednesday night.
However, when the forewoman announced the unanimous not-guilty verdict, Stanton’s sister shouted “yeah” loudly in the courtroom and was asked by the police to contain herself.
Justice Brassington Reynolds said, “Richard Stanton, you talk a lot and I hope the experience you have had is a solid one to you, since you were close as it gets to a death sentence.” The trial judge told the court that ‘only God knows what happened on January 12, 2015’ and it was a close call for him (Stanton) and he hopes he makes good the rest of his life and if he should hear anything about him, it should be ‘good things.’ Justice Reynolds said, “The jury has found you not guilty and you are free to go.” In response, Richard Stanton, with outstretched hands with a Bible in his hands, said he was happy to be acquitted of murder.
In presenting the state’s case, Tiffini Lyken told the court that at about 06:45hrs on January 12, 2015, tragedy struck at Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara, in front of the home of the victim, Patricia Sanasie. As she exited her car to open her gate with her daughter inside the said vehicle, a car came up and she was shot five times by a male assailant, who walked to her then back to the car in which he had come i and sped off. The mortally injured woman was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Lyken said on January 14, 2015, Dr. Nehaul Singh performed a post-mortem and gave the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds. She related that the police conducted an investigation and the accused was charged for the offence. The state presented seven witnesses in total, while the defence did not produce any witness. The accused, in his defence, opted to give an unsworn statement from the dock and talked for more than an hour in an effort to convince the 12-member jury that he was innocent of the charge. Defence attorney Mark Waldron made a lengthy closing submission, while the state’s address was crisp and to the point.
The state’s case was represented by Lyken, Narissa Leander and Seeta Bishundial, while the defence attorney was Waldron in association with Keoma Griffith.
