THE Court of Appeal has revised the life sentence of Stafrei Alexander, a convicted killer, now granting him eligibility for parole after serving 15 years.
Alexander, who was convicted for attempting to murder Curtis Thom, had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole.
The case stemmed from a conviction in June 2018, when an 11-1 guilty verdict was reached at the Demerara High Court by a 12-member mixed jury.

Alexander, 41, was found guilty of shooting Thom multiple times on March 23, 2015, at Thom’s residence on Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Thom, who had been feeding his dog when attacked, was severely injured with gunshot wounds to his side and back, leading to emergency surgery and a lengthy hospital recovery from his injuries, including hemothorax—an accumulation of blood in the pleural space
At sentencing, trial judge Sandil Kissoon imposed a life sentence on Alexander, denying him any chance for parole. However, through his lawyer, Dexter Smartt of Dexter Todd and Associates, Alexander appealed the sentence, arguing that it was excessive and flawed in law.

Smartt contended that the trial judge had failed to conduct a separate sentencing hearing, lacked a structured starting point for sentencing, and overlooked parole eligibility. He further argued that a life sentence was disproportionate, given that the crime did not result in Thom’s death.
In response, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Diana Kaulesar-O’Brien, representing the State, acknowledged that life imprisonment was the maximum penalty under the law but defended its appropriateness. She emphasised that the trial judge had taken into account both aggravating and mitigating factors, as well as Alexander’s criminal history.

The appellate panel, which included Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Justice of Appeal Dawn Gregory-Barnes, and Justice of Appeal Rishi Persaud, agreed with Smartt’s argument. Justice Cummings-Edwards, delivering the court’s ruling on Thursday, explained that the failure to set a period of ineligibility for parole was a misstep by the trial judge.

She stated, “The consideration of such a factor accords with modern principles of sentencing and addresses the penological objective of rehabilitation and reintegration into society.”
The court concluded that a minimum period of incarceration for parole eligibility should have been specified. Considering the nature of the case and other relevant factors, the panel ruled that 15 years would be an appropriate period for parole eligibility.

“We [the court] believe that a minimum period of incarceration should have been specified. Having regard to all the cases before us, we believe that, in this regard, an appropriate period for parole should be 15 years,” Justice Cummings-Edwards said.
Alexander continues to serve his life sentence, while his co-accused, Owen Belfield, is serving a 14-year prison sentence for their role in the 2015 murder of businessman, Richard Remington.
The prison terms were imposed by Justice Brassington Reynolds at the Demerara High Court.

Belfield and Alexander were both found guilty in April 2022 for the murder of Remington, whose decomposed body was discovered with gunshot wounds in the head in February 2015.
On February 12, 2015, Remington’s decomposed body was found in a clump of bushes in Linden.

In 2021, Alexander was acquitted of the murder of Terrence Maxwell Thomas, with whom he had previously been charged for the 2015 murder of Linden’s businesswoman, Shevon Gordon, 45.
It is alleged that, on April 4, 2015, at Wismar, Linden, Alexander murdered Gordon during the course of a robbery. Gordon was fatally shot while resisting robbers during an attack outside of her home. Also charged with the businesswoman’s murder is Asdino Bowen.
Both Alexander and Bowen, who is out on $750,000 bail, are awaiting trial for the woman’s murder at the High Court in Demerara.  Alexander was previously sentenced to two years in prison for escaping from police custody. He was among several high-profile inmates who escaped when a fire destroyed the Camp Street Prison in Georgetown back in 2017.