JUSTICE Navindra Singh on Thursday slapped a 75-year jail sentence on 24-year-old Kenkassie Lynch for the murder of a mechanic in Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, back in 2015.

The sentence was handed down at the Demerara High Court. The indictment reads that on June 1, 2015, at Nelson Street, Mocha-Arcadia, EBD, Lynch murdered 23- year-old Terrence Lanferman.

Lynch faced a trial before Justice Singh and a mixed 12-member jury, with 15 witnesses testifying during the trial. According to reports, Lynch also implicated a cousin of his, Sedley Liverpool, called ‘Birdman.’ Liverpool was later charged for Lanferman’s murder and is currently awaiting trial at the High Court.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that the shooting stemmed from a feud between ‘Birdman’ and Lanferman, but Lynch reportedly admitted that he alone carried out the shooting.

On the day in question, Lynch allegedly returned to Mocha and met his cousin, Liverpool. Lynch then proceeded to Nelson Street in the same community, to conduct surveillance on Lanferman’s house, after which he returned to ‘Birdman’s’ residence around 19:00hrs; Liverpool then allegedly gave Lynch a handgun. The two later returned to Nelson Street on a ‘CG’ motorcycle. While Liverpool waited in a nearby street, Lynch reportedly went to Lanferman’s residence and knocked on the front door. Lanferman opened his door and was confronted by the gunman.

At the conclusion of the trial and the State closed its case, the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.

However, defence attorney Adrian Thompson requested a probation report. When the probation officer took the stand on Thursday, she said that Lynch admitted to committing the offence. That sparked a dispute since his attorney said that he did not admit to the offence. The accused then stood and say he is innocent. But the probation officer maintained that Lynch admitted.

Justice Singh then started at a base of 60 years and then added 15 years for several aggravating factors, including the use of a gun to commit the act.
The state was represented by prosecutors Abigail Gibbs, Tuanna Hardy and Teriq Mohammed.