KEVIN O’Neil, 24, and 22-year-old Anal Hope have pleaded guilty to the murder of Marcus Thomas, a bus driver from Kuru Kururu. The case, heard at the Georgetown High Court on Tuesday, is being presided over by Justice Sandil Kissoon. The men’s sentencing hearing is set for July 5, 2024.

The State’s case, led by attorneys Padma Dubraj and Joy Williams, presented a compelling case against O’Neil and Hope.

According to the prosecution, on May 11, 2021, the duo attacked and fatally stabbed 39-year-old Thomas at his Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke-Linden Highway home.
The evidence detailed a violent altercation that escalated into a fatal stabbing, leaving Thomas with eight incised wounds. The incident began with an argument outside Thomas’s home, quickly escalating as Thomas ran inside to escape the confrontation. O’Neil and Hope pursued him, kicking down his door and launching a vicious attack that resulted in his death.

This brutal sequence of events was outlined in the prosecution’s case, painting a grim picture of the attack.

Defence attorneys Ronald Bostwick, representing Hope, and Konyo Sandiford, defending O’Neil, did not dispute the facts of the case.

Prosecutors Dubraj and Williams will argue for a sentence that reflects the severity of the crime and the loss suffered by Thomas’s family.

Justice Kissoon will determine the final sentences on July 5, taking into consideration the nature of the crime, the accused’s backgrounds, and any aggravating and mitigating circumstances presented by the lawyers.