Twenty-one-year-old Gregory Miguel has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, less time already served, after pleading guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter before Chief Justice (ag) Navindra Singh at the High Court in Demerara.
Miguel admitted to causing the death of his brother, Wilfred Stephen, during a violent family altercation in Kumu Village, Central Rupununi.
He was initially indicted for murder but, following legal advice from his attorney, Madan Kissoon, opted to plead guilty to manslaughter.
The case was prosecuted by State Counsel Christopher Belfield, assisted by State Counsel Praneta Seeraj and Geneva Wills.
According to the facts, on the night of July 31, 2023, the brothers—who had not spoken for several months—were drinking with relatives at their uncle’s home when an argument escalated into a fight around 21:00 hours.
Although the dispute subsided, tensions flared again later that night at their mother’s residence, where Stephen had gone to collect food.
An altercation involving their stepfather prompted Stephen to intervene to defend his mother. Miguel confronted him, and another fight erupted.
Their mother separated them, but Miguel ran into a nearby house, armed himself with a steel-point arrow, and chased after Stephen.
When Stephen fell, Miguel stabbed him in the right side of his back before fleeing. Stephen lived for about an hour before succumbing to his injuries.
Limited resources in the remote village delayed immediate contact with authorities. Police arrived around 2:00 hours on August 1, 2023, and the body was taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital.
Miguel was arrested the following day and, in a video-recorded caution statement, admitted to stabbing his brother but claimed he was intoxicated and had no intention to kill.
A post-mortem examination revealed that the arrow punctured Stephen’s chest cavity, severing major blood vessels and causing fatal internal bleeding.
In determining the sentence, Chief Justice Singh began with a starting point of 24 years.
He deducted eight years for Miguel’s early guilty plea, five years based on a favourable probation report, three years for his genuine remorse, and another three years due to his youthful age.
This resulted in a final sentence of five years’ imprisonment, with time spent on remand to be credited.
