AJAY Persaud, the man accused of dousing his wife with a flammable substance and setting her ablaze during a domestic altercation in 2022, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
His plea was entered before Justice Simone Morris at the High Court in Demerara, where he was handed the sentence on Friday. Persaud will only be eligible for parole after serving 17 years.
Time already spent on remand will be deducted.
Originally charged with murder, Persaud, 27, admitted to unlawfully killing his wife, 20-year-old Annalee Gonsalves, who succumbed to severe burn injuries on October 2, 2022, while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Persaud, who entered the guilty plea last month, was represented by attorney-at-law Dexter Todd. The fatal incident occurred on August 23, 2022, at the couple’s residence at Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD), following a heated domestic dispute.
While hospitalised and in critical condition, Gonsalves recorded a video statement identifying Persaud—also known as “Nicholas”—as the person who threw denatured alcohol on her and lit her on fire. That statement became a key piece of evidence in the state’s case, which was prosecuted by attorney Alvaro Ramotar.
Gonsalves suffered severe burns to 40 per cent of her body—including her face, upper and lower limbs, and back. She survived for more than a month before succumbing to her injuries.
Persaud fled the scene after the incident but was later captured in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). He was initially charged with attempted murder and remanded to prison.
Following Gonsalves’ death, the charge was upgraded to murder. She ultimately succumbed to sepsis caused by the extensive burns on her body.