Christian Joseph, a 23-year-old labourer from Kitty, Georgetown, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing his friend and severely injuring the man’s partner in a gasoline-fueled attack at a remote mining camp in 2022.
Appearing at the Essequibo High Court before Justice Navindra Singh, Joseph pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter in the death of Sheldon Harry, 22, and also admitted to grievously wounding Harry’s partner, Greisi Andrade, with intent to maim or disfigure.
Originally indicted for murder, Joseph escaped the maximum penalty by opting to plead guilty. He received a sentence of 10 years for the unlawful killing and two years for the attack on Andrade.
However, Justice Singh ruled that the sentences would run concurrently. The time Joseph spent in pretrial custody will be deducted.
The horrific incident occurred on June 5, 2022, at Panty Creek, along the Puruni River in the Essequibo region, where Joseph and Harry worked on neighbouring gold dredges.
According to the prosecution, led by State Counsel Caressa Henry, the violence stemmed from a domestic dispute between Joseph and his girlfriend, Miriangil.
That morning, an argument broke out between the couple, escalating to the point where Miriangil began packing her belongings to leave. She called on Andrade, who was at a nearby camp with Harry, for help. While the women were gathered at Harry’s camp, Joseph arrived wielding a cutlass and issued threats.
After failing to convince his girlfriend to return with him, Joseph left but returned shortly after with a bucket of gasoline and a piece of wood. As Harry and Andrade tried to escape, Joseph chased them, doused them with gasoline, and set them on fire.
Despite their efforts to flee, both victims sustained severe burns. Andrade managed to pull Harry to a nearby river to extinguish the flames, and bystanders assisted in getting him to the Bartica Regional Hospital.
He was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on June 20, 2022. A post-mortem revealed Harry died from bronchopneumonia as a result of septic burns covering over half his body. Parts of the attack were captured on Andrade’s mobile phone.
When apprehended, Joseph claimed the fire was accidental. The court, however, determined that the attack was intentional and unprovoked. Joseph was represented by attorney Bernard Da Silva.
