EIGHT years after the Mash Day killing of Enterprise businessman, Kumar Mohabir, his killer, Devon Thomas, was, on Wednesday, sentenced to 12 years in prison for the crime.

In October, Thomas was indicted for murder but opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, which was accepted by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Demerara High Court.

He admitted that on February 23, 2013, he unlawfully killed Mohabir, called “Dusky” and “Fire Link” at Vlissengen Road, Georgetown.

The judge sentenced Thomas to 12 years and ordered the prison to deduct two years from the sentence for his early guilty plea.  Further, the judge ordered the deduction of an additional eight years, seven months, for the time he had spent in pre-trial custody.

The state was represented by prosecutor Sarah Martin, while Thomas was represented by attorney-at-law, Surihya Sabsook.

In 2015, Thomas and his co-accused, Randy Isaacs, were first tried at the High Court and were found guilty of the offence. After being sentenced to 75 years in prison, they moved to the Court of Appeal to have their conviction and sentence overturned. Earlier this year, the Appeal Court allowed the appeal and ordered a retrial.

In July 2021, the new trial commenced before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a mixed 12-member jury at the Demerara High Court. The jury subsequently found Isaacs not guilty of the crime but was unable to arrive at a verdict for Thomas. Justice Kissoon ordered that Thomas face a new trial.

According to reports, the Mohabir family members were enjoying the Mashramani festivities on Vlissengen Road when a gang of youths attacked Kumar Mohabir and killed him, under the pretext that he had “mashed” the feet of one of them.

Navindra Mohabir went to his brother’s rescue and was viciously attacked. He suffered five serious incised wounds to his right hand. Thomas and Isaacs, who were known to the victim, were arrested after Navindra pointed them out during an identification parade.