Berbice man gets 20 years for killing reputed wife

Durn Hunt, called “Rasta”, a 41-year-old man with a history of substance-induced psychotic disorder, was on Wednesday handed a 20-year jail sentence for the brutal murder of his reputed wife.
A former resident of Crane Street, Queenstown, Corriverton, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Hunt had in May pleaded guilty to the capital offence of murder in the death of Itashia Frank, 38, whom he had stabbed and submerged in a trench on October 15, 2018.
At Hunt’s sentencing hearing on Wednesday, State Prosecutor Muntaz Ali described the woman’s killing as “brutal and blatant”, and noted that she had been slain in broad daylight. He said Hunt’s actions were reprehensible, and while alluding to the serious nature of the offence, he pointed out that domestic violence, particularly against women, is a blight on society.

Attorney-at-Law Surihya Sabsook told the court that, notwithstanding her client’s mental illness, he is a good candidate for rehabilitation.
“We ask for leniency and mercy to be shown to Durn Hunt, who has accepted responsibility for his actions. He is hoping one day to become a productive member of society,” Sabsook has said.
In his address to the court, Hunt told the victim’s family that he was “very sorry” for what he had done. Seemingly blaming his mental illness for the killing, the convict said, “I wasn’t taking my treatment, and I start smoking weed…”
In recounting the gruesome manner in which the woman was killed, Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, in the Berbice High Court, said Hunt attacked his partner in broad daylight with a knife, attacking her in such a manner that her carotid arteries were severed.
Still not satisfied, she said, he then held her down in the trench until she became lifeless.
In this regard, the Judge noted, the woman’s murder was a “premeditated plan”, and Hunt’s conduct towards his partner was cruel and callous, and showed no regard for her life.
Additionally, the Judge made it clear that the nature of Hunt’s mental illness is no excuse to commit murder.
Having considered the aggravating and mitigating factors, the serious nature of the crime and the prevalence of domestic violence-related murders, the Judge held that imprisonment for 20 years is fitting for Hunt’s criminal conduct.
The murderer was given credit for the time he had spent on remand awaiting trial.
Hunt had previously been convicted of trafficking in narcotics.
Frank, a mother of two, was stabbed several times by Hunt, and left to die in a muddy trench at Crane Street, Queenstown, Corriverton. Based on reports, the woman had recently moved in with Hunt at his Corriverton home, after they had been seeing each other for only three weeks.
At about 08:00h on Sunday, October 15, 2018, the now dead woman had headed home from work, but shortly after, she visited a nearby shop. Moments later, the woman was seen running up the street with her partner in hot pursuit. He eventually caught up with her.
The woman had tried to fight him off, but her throat was slit in the process. The woman fell into a nearby trench, and was further stabbed four times to her neck. Hunt held her down in the trench until she stopped moving. (G1)