A TWENTY-six-year-old man, Marco Seudatt, also known as “Lil Man” or “Bissoon,” was on Monday sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for the murder of 72-year-old pensioner Mathura Etwaru.
The sentence was imposed by Justice Zamilla Ally-Seepaul at the High Court in Demerara.

Seudatt, of Fourth Street, Foulis, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was indicted for the capital offence of murder.
The court considered both aggravating and mitigating factors in arriving at the final sentence.

The case arose from a tragic incident on February 22, 2021, when Etwaru’s burnt body was discovered near Huaxin Supermarket at Enmore, ECD.
According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the body was found around 8:16 am on the northern side of the supermarket building.
Post-mortem results indicated that Etwaru, a father of five, died from severe burns and neck compression.

Investigations, aided by CCTV footage from the supermarket and surrounding areas, revealed that in the early hours of that day, Seudatt and Etwaru had an argument at approximately 2:46 am. Footage showed Seudatt pushing Etwaru to the northern side of a fence and later collecting cardboard boxes, which he set alight around 3:12 am.
He was then seen fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.

In sentencing, Justice Ally-Seepaul highlighted the particularly cruel and premeditated nature of the offence. She noted that Seudatt choked the elderly victim before setting him on fire, demonstrating “an unjustified act of violence.”

The judge also cited Seudatt’s decision to flee the scene without offering assistance and the profound impact the crime had on the victim’s family as aggravating factors.
While no mitigating circumstances were applicable to the offence itself, the court considered Seudatt’s youthful age, lack of prior convictions, expressed remorse, willingness to complete his high school education, and participation in rehabilitation programmes.

Seudatt’s prison conduct report indicated good behaviour, and he expressed apologies to the family of the deceased. The victim’s family described Etwaru as a loving and tolerant individual and stressed their desire for justice.

The court also noted that Seudatt admitted to being under the influence of a narcotic substance at the time of the crime, while the victim’s advanced age made him particularly vulnerable.
Justice Ally-Seepaul concluded that despite the mitigating factors favouring rehabilitation, the crime’s cruel and premeditated nature warranted a substantial custodial sentence.

Seudatt’s early guilty plea earned him a one-third reduction from the initial 30-year sentence, bringing it to 20 years, with credit also given for time already spent on remand.
Prosecuting attorneys for the case were Praneta Seeraj, Christopher Belfield, and Nelissa Peterkin from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.