A VENEZUELAN, Nestor Luis Bolivar Martinez—known as “Spanish Boy”—on Wednesday, pleaded guilty to unlawfully killing 21-year-old Sanjay Hanoman during a 2020 confrontation at Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara (WCD).

Both the convict and the victim were residents of Anna Catherina. The guilty plea was entered before Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Demerara.

Before accepting the plea, the judge questioned Martinez extensively to confirm that he was pleading voluntarily. The proceedings were interpreted for Martinez with the assistance of an interpreter.

Acting Chief Justice Singh then ordered a probation report, a prison conduct report, victim impact statements, and for the prosecution to outline aggravating factors.

The defence will also present mitigating circumstances ahead of sentencing. Prosecutor Christopher Belfield appeared for the State, while Martinez was represented by attorney Ronald Bostwick.

According to the agreed facts, the incident occurred around 23:30 hours on October 26, 2020.

An eyewitness reported seeing Martinez pull a knife from his waist and stab Hanoman, who collapsed immediately. Martinez then rode away on a bicycle.

Family members rushed the injured young man to the Leonora Hospital, where he later died.

Police made contact with Martinez on October 26, 2020. After being cautioned, he claimed he had been walking home with his wife after consuming Banko Wine and XL Energy Drink when four men began troubling them.

He said he initially went home but later returned alone on a bicycle armed with a knife.

According to his statement, he encountered only Hanoman, who struck his bicycle with a piece of wood, prompting him to stab the young man before discarding the weapon and returning home.

A post-mortem examination conducted on October 27, 2020, by Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, found that Hanoman died from haemorrhage and shock caused by a stab wound to the left thigh.

The sentencing hearing will be conducted at a later date once all required reports and submissions are completed.