THIRTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD Bryan “Big Foot” Leitch was, on Thursday, sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for the 2013 murder of Georgetown hotel proprietor, Joseph Jagdeo, bringing to a close a case that has spanned more than a decade through Guyana’s court system.

The sentence was imposed by Justice Gino Persaud at the High Court in Demerara following Leitch’s recent conviction for murder by a 12-member jury.

The prosecution team comprised State attorneys Delon Fraser, Mtumika Lumumba and Padma Dubraj, while attorney Excellence Dazzell appeared for the defence.

Leitch’s conviction came during a retrial ordered after the Court of Appeal overturned an earlier 2018 manslaughter conviction and 33-year prison sentence imposed in the matter.

At the conclusion of the retrial, the jury found Leitch guilty of murdering Jagdeo, a well-known Georgetown businessman who owned the South-Central Hotel at Lot 218 South Road.

Jagdeo, popularly known as “Joey”, was 62 years old when he was killed in November 2013. According to evidence presented during the trial, Leitch had been staying at the hotel on November 13, 2013, accompanied by a female companion.

The court heard that Jagdeo later realised his cellular phone was missing and confronted Leitch about the matter. The confrontation reportedly escalated, leading to the fatal attack.

The following day, a caretaker employed at the hotel attempted to enter Jagdeo’s room to carry out routine cleaning duties but discovered that the door was locked.

After gaining entry, the caretaker found the businessman dead beneath a bed. His hands and feet had been bound with pillowcases and he had been gagged.

A post-mortem examination conducted by Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, determined that Jagdeo died from haemorrhage caused by blunt trauma, coupled with suffocation and compression to the neck.

Leitch was only 19 years old when he was initially charged in connection with the killing.

At his first trial, the jury acquitted him of murder but convicted him of the lesser count of manslaughter. He was subsequently sentenced to 33 years in prison.

However, following a successful appeal, the conviction was quashed and a retrial ordered.

The retrial ultimately resulted in a murder conviction.

Since his arrest, Leitch has spent nearly 13 years in custody as the matter moved through various stages of the judicial process. In the end, Justice Persaud sentenced Leitch to 25 years’ imprisonment, with credit to be given for the time he has already spent on remand.