A 27-year-old man, who confessed to strangling a woman and dumping her body near a mining camp, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Essequibo.
Keron Hope, called “Blacka”, formerly of Middle Street, Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was indicted for the murder of 26-year-old Mariam Edwards, also known as “Mary”.
He pleaded guilty to the charge, and was represented by defence attorney Latchmi Dindayal.
The crime occurred between June 8 and 9, 2022, at Kumung-Kumung, Puruni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). On the latter date, police responded to reports of a missing person feared dead. Upon arrival at Kumung-Kumung Backdam, they discovered Hope tied to a post with visible marks of violence.
When cautioned, Hope initially confessed: “I went to the camp where Mariam was cooking. I was aware that she was alone, and I choke her and she get blackout. I then take 21 pennyweights of gold from her, and then I carried her body to a nearby tail-end [of the river] and left her body.”
The following day, June 10, 2022, he gave a more detailed statement. Hope told investigators that around 10:00 hrs on June 8, 2022, he chartered a boat to return to his worksite, located close to Edwards’ camp. The two interacted, and later had sexual intercourse.
Afterwards, Edwards informed him she wanted to end the relationship, citing concerns that her fiancé, Andrecio Chappelle, had discovered the affair.
Hope said he became upset, and during the argument, Edwards slapped him. He responded by choking her until she passed out, then carried her half-naked body to the river’s edge and dumped it. Returning to her camp, he found her purse and stole gold, which he later sold.
Later that day, shop owner Adrian DeSouza Silva returned and noticed Edwards was missing.
He informed Chappelle, and the two began searching the area.
When questioned, Hope claimed he had travelled to the landing. However, persons there revealed that Edwards was last seen with him.
While returning with Silva, Hope attempted to flee, but was caught hiding in nearby bushes. He was restrained and questioned. When the police arrived, he admitted to the killing and took officers to the location where he had dumped Edwards’ body.
A post-mortem examination confirmed Edwards died from asphyxiation due to compression injuries to the neck, consistent with manual strangulation, compounded by blunt trauma to the head.
During Hope’s sentencing hearing, his attorney urged the court to consider several mitigating factors, including his early guilty plea, cooperation with the police investigation, status as a first-time offender, his youthful age, and his expression of remorse.
State Counsel Caressa Henry, on the other hand, highlighted aggravating factors, including the brutal nature of the killing, the emotional toll on the victim’s family, the prevalence of such crimes, and Hope’s initial attempt to flee.
“Murder is a capital offence, which also carries a term of imprisonment for life. The senseless actions of Hope, stemming from his inability to walk away from a woman he professed to love, shows a disregard for the sanctity of her life. Hope and Edwards knew each other, as they shared a secret relationship. This makes the crime particularly reprehensible,” Henry submitted.
Considering the aforementioned, the prosecutor urged the court to impose a punishment that would act as a deterrent. Justice Singh began with a base sentence of 30 years.
Hope received a 10-year reduction for his early guilty plea, five years for favourable probation and prison conduct reports, and another five years for expressing remorse. However, two years were added due to the devastating impact the murder had on the victim’s family.
Hope will serve 12 years in prison, with time spent on remand to be deducted from the sentence.
