Linden man admits to killing girlfriend, burying body in backyard

The Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) man who shot and killed his girlfriend and later buried her in his backyard has admitted to the offence when he appeared before a judge and jury in the Demerara High Court.
Shaquawn “IsWe” Alleyne admitted that he killed his girlfriend, Shonnette Dover in April 2021 when he appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon on Tuesday. The court has since ordered that several reports be conducted before sentencing on June 17. Alleyne was charged in January 2024 for Dover’s murder which occurred April 3 and April 29, 2021. The court at the time was informed that while under interrogation, another man who had purchased the firearm used in the shooting, told detectives that during the search for Dover, Alleyne had told him that he had a .38 special pistol to sell for $100,000, and had asked if he knew of anyone who would want to buy it. However, the man told police that he had agreed to keep the weapon and lend Alleyne the cash. The man had further explained that he later met the murder accused at a house not far from Bayroc Ground, where he handed over the money and collected the firearm, which he kept at his aunt’s house at Cinderella City.

Moreover, he had said that, about two weeks later, he learned that Dover’s sister had gone to the Police and told them that Alleyne had shot and killed her sister, thus resulting in Police initiating a manhunt for Alleyne. Following that development, the man said he realised that the gun he had was the murder weapon, and as such, had made attempts to get rid of it and police went in search of the weapon. Meanwhile, when he was 17 years old, Alleyne was arrested and charged with having 16 grams of amphetamines, but that matter was dismissed. He had also been charged with causing grievous bodily harm, but that matter was discontinued after the virtual complainant had chosen to be compensated. Alleyne who went into hiding after the murder, was arrested in Suriname in 2024 nearly three years after the murder and was handed over to local law enforcement officers. He had told detectives that he had accidentally shot his girlfriend, and that it was not a premeditated act.

He detailed that Dover had made breakfast on the day in question, and they were all sitting in his living room when he sent her 15-year-old sister to fetch him his .38 revolver. He said that while cleaning the weapon, he had pulled back the hammer, pointed it, and waved it around. He claimed that Dover had cautioned him about playing with the weapon, and his finger had fallen on the trigger and the gun had gone off. The situation had gained widespread national interest when Alleyne had initially reported Dover’s disappearance, and had taken charge of the search efforts until her body was eventually discovered.
After being killed by gunshot on April 3, 2021, Dover was buried in Alleyne’s backyard, but a younger sister of the victim, who had witnessed the shooting, alerted Police to what had transpired. With guidance from that sister, the victim’s decomposed body was found in a shallow grave aback Alleyne’s Canvas City, Linden home on April 30, 2021. Alleyne’s father and Dover’s 15-year-old sister had been arrested during the investigation. Police had indicated that the teen had led them to the shallow grave where the missing woman’s remains were buried after confessing to being at the scene of the crime when the woman died on April 3, 2021. On May 4, 2021, Dover’s teen sister was charged with accessory after the fact of murder since she had kept the incident quiet for nearly a month.