SELF-CONFESSED killer Joshua Meredith, was on Wednesday sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting Paul Rodney in 2016 during an altercation.

The sentence was handed down by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Georgetown High Court.

Last month, Meredith was arraigned on the indictment of murder but in the midst of his trial, he opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

The 29-year-old admitted that on November 21, 2016, at Avocado Square, East Ruimveldt, he unlawfully killed Rodney.

Rodney was riddled with bullets by Meredith while returning from a dance in his community. The attacker admitted to having a confrontation with Rodney during the party.

During the hearing, a probation report was read in court before the judge handed down the sentence.

According to the report, Meredith is the product of a single-parent home and was also a school dropout.

At the tender age of 15, Meredith dropped out of school and became involved in criminal activities, which led him to his first court appearance for robbery under arms.

He was placed on a two-year bond for that offence since he was a juvenile at the time. The report further detailed that persons from his community described him as a “notorious criminal.”

Additionally, prison officials described Meredith as disrespectful and disorderly, which caused him to be placed in solitary confinement and eventually causing his transfer to the Mazaruni Prison.

In his plea of mitigation, Attorney Adrian Thompson had asked the court to consider Meredith’s situation, especially since he did not have a good childhood and was influenced by the neighbourhood in which he lived.

The State prosecutor submitted the victim impact statement of Rodney’s uncle which said that Rodney was the sole breadwinner for his family and his elderly father.

The prosecutor told the court that two weeks after Rodney’s death, his father passed away after mourning for his son.

In the end, the judge sentenced Meredith to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years.