…faces charge of manslaughter

FOLLOWING advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the owner of the Tourist Villa Hotel and Bar located at Fifth Avenue, Subryanville, Kitty was on Wednesday charged with manslaughter after he shot and killed a man in alleged self-defence.

Erwin Bacchus, 45, made his appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was not required to plead to the charge, which alleged that on August 4 at Subryanville, he unlawfully killed 30-year-old father of three, Jason De Florimonte.

The courtroom was filled with relatives of De Florimonte, who looked somewhat shocked that a manslaughter charge was being read out in court when they were expecting that his alleged killer would be charged with murder.

His attorneys, Nigel Hughes and Glen Hanoman, made an application for bail on the ground that their client acted in self defence.

Hughes, who addressed the court, said that De Florimonte lived across the street at the parking lot from where the hotel is located.

However on the day in question, a handyman attached to the hotel observed that De Florimonte was in the parking lot assaulting his girlfriend and he intervened.
The attorney further disclosed that De Florimonte armed himself with a knife and advanced to the handyman, causing the man to flee into the hotel for safety.
De Florimonte, Hughes said, then ran into the hotel behind the handyman and Bacchus pulled out his firearm and discharged two rounds in an attempt to get the man from attacking his employee.

However the table turned when De Florimonte turned his attention to Bacchus and allegedly attempted to stab him. The businessman shot De Florimonte to his chest.
The attorney noted that De Florimonte then attempted to walk out of the hotel and collapsed.

Police Prosecutor Vivian Adolph told the court a similar version of the facts which were told by defence attorney.

According to Adolph, Bacchus was observing the fight between his handyman and De Florimonte and he pulled out his firearm and told the man to halt.
However, De Florimonte, who was armed with a knife attempted to stab the handyman, resulting in Bacchus discharging several rounds resulting in him being shot in the chest.
De Florimonte was picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounce dead upon arrival.

Prosecutor Adolph made no objection to bail, but requested that Bacchus lodge his passport along with other reporting conditions.

The chief magistrate released Bacchus on $1.5M bail and warned him not to make any contact with the dead man’s relatives.

He was also ordered to report to the Kitty Police Station weekly, along with lodging his passport at the court. The matter will be recalled on August 29.
After court, the cries of De Florimonte’s relatives could be heard echoing throughout the court.

Speaking to the media was aunt of the deceased, Wendy De Florimonte, who called for justice to be severed to her family and $1.5M bail was just a slap on the wrist for the killer.
In an earlier interview with the Guyana Chronicle, the De Florimonte family had called for justice to be served, as they were concerned about the businessman and his family’s rumoured connections..

“We don’t want revenge,” one relative said. “We just want justice to be served. We don’t want it to only be seen as being served, but we want it to actually be served in this matter,” a family member said.

According or reports on the day in question about 1:30 hrs De Florimonte had a misunderstanding with his girlfriend in the hotel and the ordeal was witnessed by a handyman who was standing at the hotel’s gate.
De Florimonte then turned his attention to the handyman after the latter intervened in the commotion.

The handyman ran into the hotel and De Florimonte encountered the hotel owner who is a licensed firearm holder. He was shot four times to his right side chest which resulted in his death.