WAYNE Da Silva, called “Monkey Man,” was, on Thursday, sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment for the brutal 2022 murder of 18-year-old Jude Christino, after the High Court accepted his guilty plea and found that the attack was marked by extreme cruelty.
Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh imposed the 26-year sentence in the Demerara High Court, ordering that Da Silva receive credit for the time already served while on remand.
In handing down the sentence, Justice Singh noted that while Da Silva, 25, had formally accepted responsibility for the killing, statements contained in a prison conduct report contradicted that position. According to the judge, Da Silva maintained in the report that he did not kill anyone, a stance that undermined his claims of remorse.
The court consequently rejected his expression of remorse, stressing that genuine remorse could only exist where an offender first accepts responsibility for his actions.
The judge began with a base sentence of 36 years before applying various adjustments. Twelve years were deducted for Da Silva’s early guilty plea, while a further four years were subtracted in light of favourable probation and prison conduct reports.
However, the court added four years after finding that the murder was carried out with extreme brutality. Justice Singh described the attack as “unprovoked and unwarranted.”
An additional two years were imposed to reflect the devastating impact the killing has had on Christino’s family, resulting in a final sentence of 26 years.
Da Silva was represented by attorney Glendon Greenidge.
State Counsel Christopher Belfield, who appeared for the prosecution alongside State Counsel Geneva Wills, urged the court to impose a sentence that would serve as a deterrent to others.
Belfield highlighted the severity of the attack, revealing that Christino sustained 27 stab wounds.
The prosecutor argued that the level of violence inflicted on Christino was exceptionally brutal, contending that even animals being slaughtered are not subjected to such cruelty.
He argued that Da Silva had shown no genuine remorse and continued to distance himself from responsibility despite pleading guilty.
Belfield further stressed that the killing had left a profound and lasting impact on the victim’s relatives and urged the court to take a deliberate stance in light of the prevalence of unlawful killings in society.
The prosecutor contended that an appropriate sentence was necessary to discourage similar acts of violence and reinforce public confidence in the justice system.
Christino was killed on September 3, 2022, at Kumaka Waterfront in Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini). Police investigations revealed that the teenager had been involved in an argument with two males before the confrontation escalated.
As Christino attempted to flee, he was pursued and assaulted.
An eyewitness reported that one of the attackers produced a knife and stabbed the teenager in the neck, causing him to collapse. The assailants then fled the scene, leaving the injured teen lying motionless. Christino was subsequently transported to the Mabaruma Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Da Silva and his co-accused, who was a juvenile at the time of the offence, were subsequently charged and remanded to prison for the capital offence of murder. The co-accused, now an adult, was recently sentenced under the Juvenile Justice Act and released after the court ruled that the time he had already spent in custody was sufficient to satisfy the sentence imposed.
