Mastermind in shooting death of phone card vendor during robbery gets 20 years

Shemar Singh, the man who pleaded guilty to the 2018 murder of phone vendor Ron Mansfield of Westminster, West Bank Demerara, has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, less time served.
At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, Demerara High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall imposed the custodial punishment on 26-year-old Singh, who had earlier admitted to the murder charge. He pleaded guilty to murdering Ron Mansfield, a 37-year-old father of two, on June 19, 2018 in the county of Demerara during a robbery.
In her sentencing remarks, Justice Morris-Ramlall stated that Mansfield was not only robbed of his day’s wages, which he would use to maintain his family, but he was shot and killed in front of his home. The Judge reiterated that Mansfield’s killing was “senseless”.

In determining an appropriate sentence for this crime, the Judge considered Singh’s early guilty plea; his first-time offender status; the overwhelming evidence against him; the fact that, given his youth, he has a fair chance of rehabilitation; and the impact that Mansfield’s death has had on his family. She noted, however, that Singh’s plea appeared “tactical”.
Referencing the prosecution’s case, Justice Morris-Ramlall said, “This is not a simple grab-and-run affair. This was a premeditated plan to commit armed robbery on the deceased.”
To support Singh’s rehabilitation while he is incarcerated, Justice Ramlall issued an order requiring him to engage in courses in carpentry and masonry, or in any other field of his choosing. Singh was represented by an attorney.
Last month, Alexander La Cruz and Mark Welch were jailed for 13 years and 14 years respectively for Mansfield’s murder. They have both been credited for time spent in pre-trial detention.
La Cruz, aged 31, is a father of two and a former resident of West Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD); and Welch, a 31-year-old, is a former resident of West La Penitence, Georgetown. They, too, had pleaded guilty to murdering Mansfield.

Way too often, hardworking citizens are robbed of their possessions, Justice Morris-Ramlall had remarked during Welch and La Cruz’s sentencing hearing.
In a victim impact statement given to the court, Mansfield’s widow, Anthea, had 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, had said as she described her late partner as “a people person, loving, funny and charismatic.”
Fighting to hold back tears, Anthea had expressed that no amount of punishment could replace her husband’s life. While adding that “greed” had prompted others to take his belongings, Anthea had revealed that Ron was killed two months shy of their seventh wedding anniversary.
Ron’s 21-year-old daughter had said that at the age of 16, she lost her father; six months after, her mother had passed away. The young woman had said that following the death of their father, she and her brother had had a terrible time getting by, and were even forced to live with strangers.
Ambitious, smart, loving and kind were the words the young woman had used to describe her late father. The now-dead man’s daughter had questioned her father’s killers about whether or not killing her father was worth it, much like her stepmother Anthea had done.
Attorneys-at-law Delon Fraser, Rbina Christmas, Caressa Henry and Madana Rampersaud had prosecuted this matter.
On June 19, 2018, Mansfield had just arrived home on his motorcycle, 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.
During their court appearance, La Cruz had acknowledged that he had driven his accomplices to and from the scene, while Welch had admitted that he had been the lookout man. Singh on the other hand, had confessed to shooting Mansfield. (Feona Morrison)