A 50-year-old woman from Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini), who admitted to unlawfully killing her common law husband during a domestic dispute, was, on Thursday, sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment by Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court.

Shandel Marcellino had initially been charged with the 2020 murder of her husband, 49-year-old Colin Campbell, but later pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.

The fatal incident occurred at Golden Hole, Mabaruma, in the North West District, where the couple reportedly operated a business.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Kissoon began with a starting point of 12 years’ imprisonment before applying a one-third reduction in keeping with sentencing guidelines to reflect Marcellino’s early guilty plea. This resulted in a final sentence of eight years.

The court also ordered that the time Marcellino has already spent in custody be deducted from her sentence. As a result, she is expected to serve approximately two more years in prison.

During sentencing, Justice Kissoon considered several factors, including the prevalence of domestic violence-related offences, the role alcohol played in the events leading up to the killing, and the fact that Campbell died from a single stab wound.

The judge noted that while Marcellino had been subjected to circumstances that made her a victim in certain respects, she nevertheless bore responsibility for her actions.

The killing occurred on the afternoon of October 23, 2020, at the former disco known as the “Golden Hole” in Mabaruma.

Reports at the time indicated that Campbell and Marcellino had been consuming alcohol before an altercation erupted between them. During the confrontation, Campbell was stabbed and later succumbed to his injuries at the Mabaruma Regional Hospital.

Police subsequently arrested Marcellino and launched an investigation into the incident.

The matter remained before the courts for several years before Marcellino opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, bringing the case to a close with Thursday’s sentencing.