A 12-member jury at the High Court in Essequibo, on Wednesday, returned a unanimous guilty verdict in the high-profile manslaughter trial of Guyana Police Force Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit constable Sherwin Peters, who was accused of fatally shooting Dartmouth businessman Orin Boston during a controversial police raid in September 2021.
The trial, presided over by Justice Sandil Kissoon, began on June 17, 2025, and saw the testimony of approximately 25 prosecution witnesses. Peters, 34, who was unrepresented by legal counsel, had been out on $1 million bail pending the outcome of the case.

On Tuesday, closing arguments were presented by State Counsel Latifah Elliot, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the State. The defence offered no closing argument, as Peters chose to represent himself.
Justice Kissoon summed up the evidence to the jury earlier today before handing the case over for deliberation. The jury later returned with a unanimous verdict, finding Peters guilty of manslaughter. He has since been remanded to prison pending sentencing, which has been set for July 10, 2025.

During the trial, key prosecution witness Constable Adrian Moore, then a SWAT officer and currently attached to the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), provided a detailed account of the early morning raid that led to Boston’s death.

Moore told the court that on September 14, 2021, approximately ten SWAT ranks received orders from Assistant Superintendent Gordon to proceed to the Essequibo Coast for an anti-crime operation. The team, heavily armed and instructed to remain “battle prepped,” stayed overnight at the GPF Training School in Suddie before launching several raids the next morning.
Around 04:00 hours on September 15, the team arrived at Boston’s property in Dartmouth, which housed two buildings in a single yard. Moore recounted that the unit was split into Alpha and Bravo teams, with himself and Peters assigned to Alpha.

During the operation, Moore said he heard a gunshot after entering one of the buildings. He rushed to the second room, where he saw Boston bleeding from his shoulder, slumped partially on a bed. He testified that Peters, along with two other officers, was present and appeared to be rendering aid. Boston was later taken to the Suddie Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police initially claimed there was a confrontation between Boston and the SWAT officers during the search. However, this account was disputed by Boston’s wife, and no weapon or contraband was reported to have been found during the raid.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Police Force faced significant public backlash following the incident, which reignited national conversations on police accountability, excessive force, and justice for civilians impacted by law enforcement operations.
The sentencing is set for July 10, 2025.