2 wife killers among 3 men to die while awaiting date for hearing of appeal

Two death row inmates who were waiting for their appeals to be heard have died. At a recent sitting of the Court of Appeal (CoA), a prison officer informed the Judges that prisoners, Cyon Collier and Vaughn Bart died in 2022 and 2017, respectively.
In July 2016, Cyon Collier called “Picture Boy”, was sentenced to death by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry for the 2006 murders of two brothers, Ray Walcott and Carl Andrews.
The brothers were reportedly watching a game of dominoes at the corner of a road on September 23, 2006, at Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara (ECD), when Collier called “Picture Boy”, wearing all-black attire and carrying a rifle slung over his back, approached them on a motorcycle, engaged them in conversation, and allegedly began shooting.
Meanwhile, Bart, a butcher, went berserk on December 28, 2003, and killed his 38-year-old wife, Robin Alison Chester-Bart, before attempting to take his own life by ingesting kerosene. This gruesome killing occurred at Buxton, ECD.
He reportedly used a rolling pin to beat the woman in front of their four children, severed her hands, and slit her throat. Bart, who was subsequently found guilty of the woman’s murder by a jury and sentenced to death, was admitted to prison in 2006 to begin serving his sentence.
In addition, David Godfrey Johnson, who had also been awaiting hearing of his appeal, died in December 2016. For the 2012 unlawful killing of his reputed wife, Leonaka Johnson, whose body was discovered in a canal not far from her home in Nismes, West Bank Demerara (WBD), David was given a life term in jail in January 2016 after pleading guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.
Leonaka, 20, popularly known as “Tasha,” was found floating in a canal not far from her house.
A post-mortem examination revealed that the young woman had suffered severe blunt injuries in addition to asphyxiation brought on by drowning.
The lengthy delay in the hearing of appeals has been angering a number of prisoners who have received death sentences and other penalties.
Even though some inmates would have filed Notices of Appeal immediately after receiving their sentences and have served more than five years of their sentences, their appeals have not yet been heard. A shortage of Judges and a backlog in criminal cases has led to long delays.