FOLLOWING hours of deliberations, a jury on Thursday returned unanimous guilty verdicts, convicting Paul Goriah and Donnel Trapp of killing 60-year-old Hill Foot, Soesdyke-Linden Highway agriculturalist Anthony Breedy.

For the murder of Breedy, which happened between March 12 and 14, 2016, during the course of a robbery, Goriah, 35, and Trapp, also known as “Short man,” 27, had been on trial before Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall of the Demerara High Court.

But when she summarised the evidence for the jurors on Thursday, Judge Morris-Ramlall suggested they consider manslaughter. After hours of deliberation, the panel unanimously found both accused guilty of the lesser offence.

The judge postponed their sentencing hearing until February 29 in order to allow for the presentation of probation reports, impact statements from the deceased’s family, and further social reports.

Attorneys-at-Law Nigel Hughes, Edrianna Stephen, and Narissa Leander represented Goriah, while defence attorneys Dexter Todd and Jevon Cox represented Trapp.

State Counsel Praneta Seeraj, State Counsel Simran Gajraj, and Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Tiffini Lyken prosecuted the case.

Based on reports, the body of Breedy was found in the lower flat of his two-storey Lot 67 Hill Foot house, with multiple injuries to his head. His hands and feet were bound.

It was reported that after Breedy was killed, his killers made off with his Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and other belongings, including an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card.

A piece of wood believed to be the murder weapon was found at his home.

The last day Breedy, 60, was spotted alive was March 12, 2016.

A post-mortem examination revealed that he died from asphyxia due to manual strangulation, compounded by multiple blunt traumas to the head.

This was Trapp’s second trial for the offence. His initial trial in May 2022 ended in a hung jury after the jurors were unable to return a unanimous verdict. According to reports, Goriah was previously arrested for break and enter and larceny and trafficking narcotics.

After a fire destroyed the Camp Street Prison in 2017, Goriah was one of many inmates who managed to flee, but he was apprehended again in 2022 while hiding in Suriname.

Meanwhile, Keino Corbin, also known as “Trini”, 27, entered a guilty plea to a murder charge pertaining to Breedy’s killing in June 2022 and was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.
Before he is eligible for parole, Corbin must serve 11 years in jail.