Sophia man who set wife on fire jailed for 19 years

…“please forgive me” – man to family

By Feona Morrison

Wazim Perreira, formerly of North Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was on Monday handed a 19-year jail sentence for the murder of his common-law wife, Olivia DeFreitas, whom he had set on fire.
Referencing the extent of the injuries the 24-year-old woman sustained, Demerara High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramall said that in all the circumstances of the case, she found 19 years, minus the time served on remand, to be an appropriate punishment.
Perreira, 31, with whom De Freitas had two children, was originally indicted for the capital offence of murder and opted to plead guilty as charged upon his arraignment last month, throwing himself at the mercy of the court.
The severity of the victim’s injuries and the fact that the murder was a premeditated act carried out in front of the woman’s then-underage brother were two of the factors the Judge took into account while determining the proper sentence for this confessed killer.

Lamenting the impact the woman’s death has had and continues to have on her family, Justice Morris-Ramlall said, “Her minor children have now lost the care of both of their parents. They have been permanently deprived of the care of their mother.”
The Judge informed Perreira that his actions breached his partner’s confidence, noting that she could not find any mitigating considerations in the circumstances of this case.
She went on to tell him that DeFreitas’s alleged infidelity was not a justification for killing her.
The Judge started with a base of 27 years, deducted nine years for the early guilty plea, and added two years for aggravating circumstances to leave 20 years. She subtracted one year for mitigating circumstances from this 20 years, resulting in a total prison sentence of 19 years.
Once the sentence was imposed, she counselled the prisoner to make the most of his incarceration by learning the necessary skills and information that would enable him to make a constructive contribution to society after his release. She agreed that there are good chances he will be rehabilitated for reintegration into society given his comparatively young age.
Perreira was also advised by the Judge to continue attending anger management classes.

“Cold-blooded”
Last Thursday, State Counsel Madana Rampersaud concluded arguments on behalf of the prosecution, pleading with the court to punish Perreira severely for the “cold-blooded” crime.
Reports are that at approximately 13:00h on September 10, 2019, Perreira visited DeFreitas’s place of abode in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, and requested to speak with her.

When the woman refused to entertain his request, he went away, but returned shortly after with a container of gasoline, which he threw on the woman and set her afire.
As the woman’s loud screams rang out, neighbours ran to her rescue and rushed her to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she was admitted and treated for second-degree burns to her face, chest, abdomen, and back. She, however, succumbed to her injuries a month later.

Premeditated
When DeFreitas was admitted to the hospital, Perreira had been slapped with an attempted murder charge; but after she passed away, the charge against him was upgraded to murder.
The evidence in the case unequivocally demonstrates that Perriera, by his acts, wanted to kill the woman or seriously hurt her, Prosecutor Rampersaud had submitted.
This is “cold-blooded murder”, Rampersaud emphasised, as he added that Perriera had set the woman on fire in full view of her then 14-year-old brother.
In describing the couple’s tumultuous relationship, the prosecutor said DeFreitas had been compelled to return home to live with her mother, following Perriera’s abuse of her.
Despite the fact that DeFreitas had spent several weeks in the hospital, Rampersaud noted that the woman’s health had always been critical because she had 40 per cent of her body burned.
Physicians had come to the conclusion that her illness might result in disfigurement and impairment, the State Counsel highlighted in his submissions to the court.
In this regard, he said, Perreira’s conduct on the day in question was careless and reckless.
In light of this, he begged the court to take into account an additional set of aggravating circumstances: the seriousness and frequency of the offence, the use of a combustible material, the nature of their relationship, and the frequency of intimate partner violence and domestic violence.
Specifically, Rampersaud mentioned that women who have left abusive relationships or have threatened to leave have been killed, and as such, a sentence that would serve as a deterrent to would-be offenders is warranted.

Delinquent
A probation report, meanwhile, revealed that the admitted murderer had a difficult upbringing, dropping out of school and taking odd jobs around his neighbourhood.
He started engaging in delinquent behaviour, leading to the residents calling him “smokey”, “ill-mannered,” and “thief,” according to a Probation Officer.
According to the Probation Officer, Perreira had been previously charged with larceny and wounding, and had frequently gotten into verbal arguments with his partner’s family.
However, those matters were settled after Perreira had compensated the victims.

Miss her
Through victim impact statements, DeFreitas’s brother and mother said they miss her.
Her mother reflected on the life she had shared with her daughter, and remarked that they had done everything together. “I grieve a lot for her. Her children miss her,” she said.
“I miss my sister,” DeFreitas’s brother cried. “I’m really sad. I want justice for my sister. I want Wazim Perreira to go to jail for life. Every time I think about what happened, I does get angry.”
When asked by the Judge if he had anything to say, a shackled and handcuffed Wazim Perreira replied, “I am very sorry for what I do to my family, Your Worship.”
He then turned to the mother and brother of the deceased, who were seated in the courtroom, and said, “Please forgive me”.
Meanwhile, Perriera’s lawyer, Adrian Thompson, in a mitigation plea, asked the court to temper justice with mercy. In so doing, he emphasised, his client ought to receive credit for his early guilty plea, the time he spent on remand, and deductions for his heartfelt declaration of regret.
Given his client’s relatively young age, Thompson said, he has good prospects of being rehabilitated for reintegration into society.
The other prosecutors in this case were State Counsel Praneta Seeraj, State Counsel Cicelia Corbin, and State Counsel Yonika Rowland. (G1)