Man, 52, pleads guilty to killing 18-year-old wife

Six years after beating his 18-year-old reputed wife to death at Baramita, North West District, Region One (Barima-Waini), Dhanraj Theophillus, 52, has admitted to the crime, and is now awaiting sentencing.
At his arraignment before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry in the Demerara High Court earlier this month, the quinquagenarian admitted that he had unlawfully killed Lorenda Thomas, the mother of his child, between January 17 and 18, 2018. He was originally indicted for the capital offence of murder, but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Sentencing for Theophillus has been deferred to February 5, in order that the Judge might first hear probation and other social impact reports. He is being represented by Attorney Teriq Mohammed, while State Counsel Joy Williams and State Counsel Alvaro Ramotar are the prosecutors.
Thomas was attacked by her then 47-year-old reputed husband on January 17, 2018, and was beaten unconscious before being left on the road shoulder in an unconscious state. After regaining consciousness, she managed to walk to a relative’s home, where she relayed what had happened to her.
The following morning, after complaining of feeling weak and experiencing pain in her abdomen, she was taken to a health centre in Baramita, where she was admitted for treatment. She was scheduled to be transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) for further treatment, but succumbed to her injuries later that day. Her cause of death was determined as haemorrhage and shock due to multiple blunt traumas.
Following her death, a wanted bulletin was issued for Theophillus, and he was apprehended a week later. In a written caution statement, he told the Police that on January 7, 2018, his spouse had left home to attend classes at Central Baramita, but had never returned. On January 17, 2018, at approximately 22:00h, he travelled to Barima Line in Baramita in search of her. He said he went to her siblings’ home, and they took him to Judah Camp, where he found her sleeping in a hammock with their child.
Theophillus related that after he had awakened her, she started walking, and then threw herself on the ground several times. He said that when they arrived at her grandmother’s home, Thomas threw herself down once more, and he held her by her hair and picked her up. He claimed that he and his partner started arguing thereafter, during which she accused him of having another woman.
Theophillus recounted that her accusation angered him, and he gave her two punches on her body. He said that about five minutes afterward, she fell to the ground; and
later, she started cursing him, after which “she ran into the wood. Then I picked her up and take her into camp, [and] I placed her into the hammock.”
He claimed to have returned to the backdam on January 18, 2018, after leaving their son with his common-law wife’s sister.(G1)