A 23-year-old woman, Shamirika Gibson, was on Wednesday sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment after appearing before Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Demerara.

She had previously pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter for the 2022 killing of 21-year-old mother of two, Carol Davidson.

Gibson, formerly of North East La Penitence Squatting Area, Georgetown, was initially indicted for the capital offence of murder but accepted responsibility for manslaughter based on a statement of agreed facts presented to the court.

She was represented by attorney-at-law Madan Kissoon, while the prosecution team comprised State Counsel Simran Gajraj, State Counsel Christopher Belfield, and State Counsel Geneva Wills.

Before handing down the sentence, Chief Justice Singh considered several pre-sentencing reports, including probation findings, a prison conduct assessment, and a victim impact statement.

The court also ordered that the period Gibson spent on remand be deducted from the final sentence.

According to the facts, the incident occurred on June 6, 2022, at East Ruimveldt Squatting Area, Georgetown, where Davidson was standing in a yard when approached by Gibson and her sister. During a confrontation, Gibson pulled a knife from her jacket and stabbed Davidson in the chest.

The young mother attempted to flee but collapsed at the back of the yard and later died.

A post-mortem examination later confirmed that she succumbed to a perforation of the heart caused by the stab wound.

During the investigation, Gibson gave a video-recorded statement explaining how she inflicted the fatal injury and later accompanied investigators to the scene.

In outlining aggravating factors, the prosecution highlighted “the nature and serious circumstance” under which Davidson met her demise, submitting that Gibson’s actions “demonstrate a blatant disregard for life.”

Prosecutors noted that the injuries were “gruesome and delivered with great force” to penetrate her body and pierce her heart and emphasised the use of a dangerous weapon.

They also pointed to the impact of Davidson’s death on her family, particularly her two sons, ages 10 and eight, and argued that the sentence should “serve as a deterrent” given the prevalence of unlawful killings in the Guyanese society.

The prison conduct report showed that while incarcerated, Gibson completed courses in culinary arts, anger management, sewing, women’s empowerment, and cosmetology.

Prison officials described her as well-behaved and “always open to correction.”

In her statement, Gibson expressed remorse, offering “heartfelt apologies” to Davidson’s relatives and stated that she wished she could “go back in time to correct her mistakes.”

She pleaded for a chance to change and contribute meaningfully to society.

In determining the sentence, Justice Singh started at 18 years, deducting six years for Gibson’s early guilty plea, four years for favourable reports, three years for her remorse, and two years for her youthfulness.

He then added four years to reflect the impact of Davidson’s death on her family, arriving at a final term of seven years’ imprisonment, from which time spent in pre-trial custody will be deducted by the Guyana Prison Service (GPS).