Corentyne man jailed 18 years for rum shop killing

…killing intentional, unwarranted _ Judge
A Corentyne man who fatally stabbed his friend during a confrontation at a shop and Superbet outlet in John’s Settlement, Port Mourant, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), was on Friday sentenced to 18 years imprisonment by the Berbice High Court.

Andrew Seegobin, also called “Deportee”, received the sentence from Justice Deborah Kumar-Chetty for the murder of Ramanand “Rambo” Mingo. The Judge also ordered that the time Seegobin spent on remand be deducted from the sentence.
The fatal incident occurred on November 19, 2023, during an altercation involving Seegobin, Mingo and Mingo’s brother at the business place in John’s Settlement.
State prosecutor Marisa Edwards appeared for the prosecution while attorney Surihya Sabsook represented Seegobin.
In March, a 12-member jury found Seegobin guilty of murder after approximately two and a half hours of deliberation.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Kumar-Chetty outlined several aggravating factors which she said increased the seriousness of the offence. The Judge noted that Mingo was unarmed at the time he was stabbed and that the injury inflicted was severe and intentional.
“The actions by Andrew Seegobin were dangerous and involved the use of an inherently dangerous weapon to inflict the stab wound,” the Judge stated.
The court also found that Seegobin fled the scene immediately after Mingo collapsed and made no effort to assist him.
Justice Kumar-Chetty relied heavily on the medical evidence presented during the trial by Government Pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan, who conducted the post-mortem examination.
According to the evidence presented in court, Mingo sustained a stab wound to the left side of his chest, which penetrated the heart. The wound cut through the pericardium and left ventricle, causing massive bleeding into the chest cavity.
Dr Bridgemohan had testified that the injury was highly unlikely to have been accidental and that a significant amount of force would have been required to inflict the wound. The official cause of death was given as shock and haemorrhage due to a stab wound to the heart.
The Judge further noted that Seegobin and Mingo were friends who spent time together, making the killing “especially reprehensible”.
The court also considered the impact the killing had on Mingo’s relatives.
Justice Kumar-Chetty referred to a victim impact statement from Mingo’s mother, Lelouchi Ramsami, who described her son as the breadwinner of the family and spoke of the pain caused by his death.
The court also heard from Mingo’s brother, Daniel Mingo, who witnessed the incident and told the court that the family continues to suffer emotionally from the loss. He also disclosed that their father later died after becoming overwhelmed with grief following Ramanand Mingo’s death.
Despite the aggravating circumstances, the Judge said the court accepted that the killing occurred during an emotionally charged confrontation and that the conduct of the deceased and his brother contributed to the escalation of events.
Although the jury rejected Seegobin’s claim of self-defence, the court accepted that the confrontation and surrounding circumstances were relevant mitigating factors.
Justice Kumar-Chetty also found that the attack was not premeditated and noted there had been no previous problems between Seegobin and the deceased.
The court referred to video evidence recorded by Seegobin on his cell phone shortly before the stabbing, which showed Mingo running towards him moments before the fatal injury was inflicted.
In determining the sentence, the Judge reviewed several comparable murder cases from Guyana’s courts and adopted what she described as a “starting point approach” to sentencing.
The court fixed a starting point of 22 years imprisonment after considering the seriousness of the offence and the aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
The Judge then considered factors relating specifically to Seegobin, including the fact that he had no previous convictions, expressed remorse and apologised to both the victim’s family and his own family during the sentencing hearing.
The court also considered favourable probation and prison conduct reports, which described Seegobin as a suitable candidate for rehabilitation. Before his imprisonment, he worked as a plumber and had obtained a secondary education.
Justice Kumar-Chetty said prison authorities reported that Seegobin actively participated in recreational activities and demonstrated positive behaviour while incarcerated.
Taking those factors into account, the court deducted four years from the sentence, reducing it from 22 years to 18 years of imprisonment.
In closing remarks before imposing the sentence, Justice Kumar-Chetty described the matter as “a tragic reminder of how quickly an argument can lead to anger and violence to destroy life and family”.
“Sadly, families have been left grieving, and two lives have been permanently altered by one violent act,” the Judge said before formally sentencing Seegobin to 18 years in prison.