“Popcorn” gets 83-year murder sentence reduced

Twenty-eight-year-old Delon Gordon, also known as “Popcorn”, who was sentenced to 83 years in jail for throwing kerosene on his reputed wife before setting their home on fire, had his sentence reduced to 21 years following a ruling by the Court of Appeal.

Chief Justice Roxane George and Justices of Appeal Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory, who heard the appeal, agreed that the 83-year sentence imposed on Gordon by Justice Navindra Singh was excessive and severe having considered all the circumstances of the case.
As such, the court ordered that the time Gordon has served in jail from the time of his arrest in 2014 be deducted from the sentence. This, therefore, means that he will have to spend the next 14-years behind bars.
The prosecution had contended that Gordon, on July 4, 2011, murdered Natasha Johnson by setting her afire in their Better Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home.
The court heard that Gordon set the house on fire with himself, Johnson, and their three children inside. Johnson was rescued by neighbours and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where she later succumbed.
Following the woman’s demise, a post-mortem examination (PME) conducted on her remains revealed that she had suffered from a dislocated nasogastric tube, brain haemorrhage and congested kidneys with heavy lungs. According to the prosecution’s case, Johnson suffered from Adult Distress Respiratory Syndrome (ADRS), which was brought on as a result of trauma from the burns, eventually leading to her death.
Gordon was charged and then found guilty in October 2014 in the High Court by Justice Singh.
After his conviction and sentencing, Gordon, through his lawyer Dexter Todd, appealed the 83 years’ jail sentence. Justice Singh had ordered that Gordon not be eligible for parole until after serving 50 years. (G1)