Senior Reporter
derek.achong@guardian.co.tt
Two south Trinidad men who admitted to beating a neighbour to death while they were teenagers have been sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Anthony Ramsumair and Vion Ramjit were sentenced by High Court Judge Nalini Singh late last month after pleading guilty to the murder of Latchman Ramcharan.
Ramcharan, 24, of La Fortune, Woodland, was found near a doubles shed close to his home on July 22, 2018. A post-mortem examination determined that he died from blunt force trauma to the head.
The men were arrested and charged based on evidence from a neighbour who lived near the shed. The witness reported seeing them fighting with Ramcharan while returning home from a bar hours before his body was discovered. The neighbour also claimed that both men later confessed their roles in the killing to him prior to their arrests.
Ramsumair, who was 17 at the time of the offence, was allowed to plead guilty to murder as he would have been spared the mandatory death penalty due to his age.
In accepting his plea, Justice Singh said she was satisfied that he committed the offence with the requisite intent.
“The attack involved the deliberate infliction of violent blows to the head of the deceased during a joint assault... A person who intentionally participates in such an attack must be taken to intend at least to cause grievous bodily harm,” she said.
Ramjit, who was 19 at the time, was permitted to plead guilty to felony murder under a plea agreement with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). He maintained that he, Ramsumair and another man—who was never prosecuted—had planned to rob Ramcharan and that the victim died in the course of the offence.
Under the felony murder rule, the death penalty is waived where a death occurs during the commission of a lesser offence, most commonly robbery.
In determining the sentences, Justice Singh adopted a starting point of 25 years.
“That figure properly reflects the very serious objective gravity of a joint, profit-driven beating culminating in fatal blunt force head injury, while also recognising that the case, though grave, falls short of the most extreme category of murder warranting a 30-year or higher baseline,” she said.
She then reduced both sentences by four years.
Ramsumair’s reduction was based on his age at the time of the offence, evidence of rehabilitation while on remand, his clean disciplinary record in prison, and strong family support to assist with reintegration upon release.
Ramjit’s reduction was based on his age, previous good character, difficult childhood circumstances—including the loss of his mother and sister—and his exemplary prison record.
“A reduction of four years strikes the appropriate balance between acknowledging the offenders’ personal mitigation and avoiding an overstatement of demonstrated reform,” the judge said.
Both men were granted a one-third discount for their guilty pleas.
They are expected to be released in less than six years, as Justice Singh ordered that time spent on remand be deducted from their sentences.
“The court is satisfied that the sentences properly reflect the seriousness of the offence, the degree of each offender’s involvement, and the mitigating factors personal to them,” she said.
“The sentences maintain fairness and consistency among co-offenders, are proportionate to the harm caused, and align with guidance from our appellate court,” she added.
Ramsumair and Ramjit were represented by attorneys Michael Modeste and Markus Isaac. The DPP’s Office was represented by Maria Lyons-Edwards, Cassie Bisram and Kai Cambridge.
