Duo to each spend more than 10 years in prison for murder of phone card vendor

In relation to the shooting death of a phone card dealer in front of his home in 2018, two men have been sentenced by the Demerara High Court to each serve just over ten years in jail.

At a hearing on Wednesday, High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall sentenced Alexander La Cruz and Mark Welch to 13 years and 14 years respectively. They have both been credited for time spent in pre-trial detention.
La Cruz, aged 31, a father of two and former resident of West Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD); and Welch, a 31-year-old former resident of West La Penitence, Georgetown, had pleaded guilty to murdering Ron Mansfield, a 37-year-old father of two, on June 19, 2018.
In her sentencing remarks, Justice Morris-Ramlall stated that Mansfield was not only robbed of his day’s wages, which he used to maintain his family, but his life was also taken in the process. “His killing was senseless. He was shot in front of his home.”
Way too often, the Judge said, hardworking citizens are robbed of their possessions.
When deciding on a fit punishment for the pair, she considered the fact that none of them was the shooter, and pointed out that there was no proof that they were aware a gun would be used.
She also took into account the impact the now-dead man’s death has had on his family. The Judge commented that they both seemed to have outstanding possibilities of rehabilitation, because they are still quite young. The Judge said, too, that the words of regret the offenders had expressed to the man’s relatives seemed genuine.
Every offender’s sentence had a 24-year starting point. After a one-third deduction for their early guilty plea and mitigating circumstances, La Cruz and Welch’s prison terms were reduced to 13 years and 14 years respectively.
The killers were represented by Attorney-at-Law Tuanna Hardy, while Attorneys-at-Law Delon Fraser, Rbina Christmas, Caressa Henry and Madana Rampersaud prosecuted the matter.
In a victim impact statement given to the court, Mansfield’s widow, Anthea, revealed to the robbers that she finds it difficult to forget the violent way her husband was taken from her.
“We did everything together,” the emotional woman, who made her statement via Zoom, said, describing her late partner as “a people person, loving, funny and charismatic.”
Fighting to hold back tears, Anthea expressed that no amount of punishment could replace her husband’s life, while adding that “greed” prompted others to take his belongings.
Anthea revealed that Ron was killed two months shy of their seventh wedding anniversary.
Ron’s 21-year-old daughter said that, at the age of 16, she lost her father, six months after, her mother passed away. The young woman said that following the death of their father, she and her brother had a terrible time getting by, and were even forced to live with strangers.
Ambitious, smart, loving, and kind were the words she used to describe her late father.
The now-dead man’s daughter questioned her father’s killers about whether or not killing her father was worth it, much like her stepmother Anthea did.
When asked by the Judge if he had anything to say, La Cruz, who worked as a taxi driver/tattoo artist prior to his incarceration, told Mansfield’s daughter, “I had no intention to take your father’s life. I am very sorry.”
He confessed that he was paid $60,000 to transport his accomplices to and from the scene.
Welch, on the other hand, told the Judge, “I am just begging for mercy. I would never do it again; I didn’t do no shooting.”
Both convicts had favourable probation reports. They have never been sanctioned by the prison service for bad conduct. In fact, Welch works as an orderly in the prison, helping to share food and maintain order among his fellow inmates.
La Cruz and Welch’s attorney, Tuanna Hardy, for her part, stated that her clients are deserving of rehabilitation and are in the process of turning a new leaf.
She said Welch acted as the “lookout” man. She asked the Judge that, in calculating an appropriate sentence, to consider the men’s previous unblemished criminal record as well as their early guilty pleas. In the circumstances, Hardy begged the court to temper justice with mercy.
Meanwhile, State Prosecutors Fraser and Rampersaud asked the court to impose a sentence that reflects the serious nature and prevalence of the offence.
The men’s use of a deadly weapon and gratuitous brutality against an unarmed man who did not pose a threat to them were underlined by the prosecutors as aggravating elements.
The use of a gun shows that they intended to kill or cause their victim serious harm, the prosecutors submitted. Fraser and Rampersaud also asked the court to take into account the impact Ron’s death has had and continues to have on his family.
On June 19, 2018, Mansfield had just arrived home after plying his trade when he was attacked and shot by gunmen during a robbery. He succumbed to his injuries while being transported to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH). The attack had occurred at around 20:30h.
“The victim, who was discovered with a gunshot injury to the body, was reportedly returning home from selling phone cards on his motorcycle,” Police had said. His bag containing his phone cards and money was not found, according to the Police.