Appeal hearing to overturn 81-year prison term set for March

2011 murder of Robb St granny

The Guyana Court of Appeal on Thursday fixed March 11, 2021, to commence hearing arguments from the lawyers of four men who are seeking to overturn their 81-year sentences for the 2011 murder of 72-year-old Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris, who was gunned down at her Robb Street, Georgetown residence.

Sentenced to 81 years’ imprisonment each for the crime were: Orwin and Cleon Hinds, Roy Jacobs, and Kevin October. Following a trial before Justice Navindra Singh in 2015, the four men were found guilty of the offence by a 12-member jury.
Justice Singh imposed the 81-year prison term on each of them, with parole possible after serving a minimum of 45 years.
The men have all professed their innocence, and as a result, filed an appeal against their conviction and sentence.

During a case management conference on Thursday, the Court of Appeal set timelines for the filing of submissions by the convicted killers’ lawyers and the prosecution. Thereafter, the Court will commence hearing the case which will be presided over by acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud.
Attorney-at-Law George Thomas is representing Orwin Hinds, while Roy Jacobs is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Dexter Todd. Attorney-at-Law Adrian Thompson is appearing on behalf of Kevin October and Cleon Hinds. Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Teshana James-Lake is appearing for the State.
According to the charge the men faced, on June 30, 2011, they murdered Fiedtkou-Parris pursuant to an arrangement whereby money was intended to be passed from one person to another.
The elderly woman was shot and killed on that night at her 42 Robb Street, Georgetown home. Media reports are that two men had gone to the woman’s home asking for “Auntie”. When the elderly woman emerged from her bedroom, one of them pulled out a gun and shot her several times to her upper body.
They fled the scene in a waiting motor car while the elderly woman was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. It is believed that a bitter dispute over property might have been the motive for her killing.