A MAN who admitted to brutally stabbing his wife to death in a harrowing domestic violence case in Linden has been sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for at least 18 years.

Forty-four-year-old Michael London was sentenced by Justice Simone Morris at the Demerara High Court on Wednesday for the 2017 murder of his wife, 38-year-old Shaneka Elliot.

The court ordered that London be eligible for parole only after serving 18 years, with time already spent on remand to be deducted in accordance with the law.

London had pleaded guilty last month to the capital offence of murder, admitting that he stabbed Elliot approximately 15 times with a knife in a frenzied attack on May 19, 2017, at their home in Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Region 10.

The fatal assault occurred while Elliot was reportedly trying to leave what relatives described as an abusive relationship.

Elliot was rushed to the Mackenzie Hospital Complex but was pronounced dead on arrival.

A post-mortem examination confirmed that she died from multiple incised wounds, several of which punctured vital organs.

After committing the crime, London fled the scene, abandoning the blood-stained murder weapon. A manhunt ensued and the police later located him deep within the Moblissa jungle along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. During the arrest, London reportedly attacked the police officers, who were forced to shoot him in the leg to subdue him.

During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, the court considered victim impact statements and a probation report, which detailed the emotional trauma suffered by Elliot’s children and family members. Justice Morris underscored the seriousness of the offence, particularly its domestic nature, and pointed to the need for deterrence amid a worrying rise in intimate-partner homicides.

In her sentencing remarks, Justice Morris stressed that the violent and calculated nature of the crime, involving the use of a deadly weapon and the infliction of 15 stab wounds, resulting in the loss of a young life, could not be overlooked.

She noted that the offender’s decision to flee the scene further aggravated the seriousness of the offence and weighed heavily against him in the court’s assessment.

At the same time, the court also acknowledged London’s early guilty plea, his lack of prior convictions and his willingness to accept responsibility for his actions. Justice Morris emphasised that rehabilitation must be part of the sentence and ordered that London participate in anger-management and family- reconciliation programmes while incarcerated.

The case was prosecuted by State Counsel Marisa Edwards, Muntaz Ali, and Darin Chan. London was represented by attorney-at-law C. Humphrey.