After nearly three years before the courts, 32-year-old Aquiella Abrams has been cleared of all charges in the fatal stabbing of her reputed husband, Michael Wilson, after the High Court accepted that she acted in self-defence.
The ruling was handed down by Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif at the Demerara High Court, where the judge upheld a no-case submission by Abrams’ attorneys, Yuborn Allicock and Shauntelle Wright, and instructed the jury to return a formal not-guilty verdict.
Abrams was originally charged with murder in October 2022, following Wilson’s death, and spent time on remand before the charge was later reduced to manslaughter in March 2023, at which point she was released on $500,000 bail.
According to prosecutors, the incident unfolded on October 10, 2022, at the couple’s Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara home. Wilson, 40, sustained two stab wounds to the abdomen and later died while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
During the trial, evidence revealed that the couple’s relationship was plagued by frequent quarrels, infidelity claims, and repeated incidents of domestic violence, with Abrams often identified as the victim.
On the day of the fatal altercation, Abrams reportedly told Wilson she was ending the relationship and began preparing to move out. Investigators testified that Wilson then armed himself with a knife and stabbed Abrams on her forearm. In the struggle that followed, she wrestled the weapon away and stabbed him twice.
Her defence maintained that Abrams’ actions were a clear case of self-defence, pointing to the evidence that supported her version of events. Justice Chandra-Hanif agreed, ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt.
