Kebra Duncan sentenced to seven years for 2019 Killing of Edino Jose

Kebra Duncan was this week sentenced to seven years in prison for the 2019 killing of 23-year-old Edino Jose, bringing an end to the nearly six-year-old case that began with a deadly confrontation and a guilty plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
The sentence was handed down by Justice Nareshwar Harnanan at the High Court in Demerara, just over a month after Duncan admitted to unlawfully killing Jose during an altercation on September 15, 2019.
Initially indicted for the capital offence of murder, Duncan pleaded not guilty to that charge but accepted responsibility for the killing by entering a guilty plea to manslaughter.
The facts presented in court revealed that Duncan and Jose became involved in a violent dispute, during which Duncan claimed he was attacked by the now deceased, who reportedly wielded a broken beer bottle. In the course of the fight, Duncan armed himself with a brick and a cutlass, striking Jose multiple times before the altercation ended with Jose jumping into a nearby trench.
In a written statement to police investigators, Duncan admitted that after the scuffle, he pulled Jose out of the water and left him lying on the embankment before fleeing the scene. Jose’s body was discovered later that same day by a passerby. An autopsy later determined that Jose died from multiple blunt force injuries and asphyxiation due to drowning.
Following investigations, Duncan was arrested and charged. He remained in custody throughout the legal proceedings, which culminated in his guilty plea earlier this year.
This week, Justice Harnanan imposed a seven-year sentence of imprisonment. The court is expected to apply standard deductions for time already spent on remand, in accordance with local sentencing guidelines.
The case was prosecuted by State Counsel Preneeta Seeraj, Abiola Lowe, and Mtumika Lumumba. Duncan was represented by Defence Attorneys Tanza Sarabo and Jed Vasconcellos.