The case against 33-year-old Marlon Da Silva, charged with the murder of his 27-year-old reputed wife, Kenesha Vaughn, took a decisive turn on Tuesday.
Magistrate Dylon Bess committed him to stand trial for the capital offence of murder at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Criminal Assizes.
Da Silva, who shares a child with Vaughn, had maintained throughout the proceedings that he acted in self-defence.
The couple’s dispute on February 22, 2025, culminated in Vaughn being shot multiple times, sustaining 12 gunshot wounds, before she was pronounced dead while receiving treatment at Diamond Hospital.
During a previous hearing at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrate’s Court, the defence made a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence to support the murder charge.
Magistrate Bess rejected the submission and instructed Da Silva to present a defence. He then gave an unsworn statement, reiterating that he feared for his life and acted in self-defence.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Magistrate Bess noted that issues of provocation and self-defence raised by the defence are matters for a jury to decide and not appropriate for determination at the committal stage.
At the conclusion of the committal proceedings, Magistrate Bess determined that a prima facie case had been established, committing Da Silva to stand trial before a judge and jury at the High Court in Demerara.
Da Silva was represented by attorneys Glenn Hanoman, Sanjeev Datadin, and Everton Singh-Lammy.
Prosecutors Attorneys Kiswana Jefford and Nigel Hughes appeared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
On the day of the incident, Da Silva reportedly arrived at his Diamond, East Bank Demerara home and encountered his wife in the kitchen, leading to a heated argument between them.
The argument escalated into a physical altercation, during which Da Silva allegedly slapped the woman.
In response, the victim reportedly armed herself with a knife and approached Da Silva, who then drew his licensed firearm from his waistband and fired multiple shots, striking her 12 times in several parts of her body.
She collapsed immediately and became motionless.
After the shooting, Da Silva contacted the police, who arrived and transported the victim to Diamond Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
