Trio gets life sentence for robbing, killing vendor

Three men who had viciously attacked and killed a vendor during a robbery at his home at Uitspa, a Demerara riverine community, have each been sentenced to life imprisonment.
On Thursday, July 20, 2023, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry sentenced Chandrapaul Persaud, 50, also called “Raju” or “Duffy”; Heralall Ramdhan, 61, also called “Baba” or “Roshan”; and Jagishwar Dhanai, 36, also called “Toto”, after they were convicted in May by a mixed 12-member jury of murder in the death of Dhanpaul Dookie, called Paulie, a 51-year-old vendor who was killed at his residence at sometime between July 24 and 26, 2017.
Police had stated that Dookie, a farmer/coal vendor, had been found dead with stab wounds to his abdomen, lower back, hip, forehead and right eye in his home in Uitspa Village, Demerara River.

After committing the act, the perpetrators had reportedly made their way into the man’s home, from whence they raided money and jewellery, among other items, before escaping.
The man’s decomposing body was found by persons who had gone to check on him; and a
post-mortem report had listed his cause of death as multiple blunt and sharp force injuries.
Persaud and Dookie had been known to each other.
On Wednesday, when each of the convicted killers addressed the court, they begged for clemency and forgiveness, and for a chance to get back into society to be with their families. They
each told the deceased man’s family that they were “sorry” for the loss of his life.
At that sentencing hearing on Wednesday, the State Prosecutor alluded to the serious nature and prevalence of the offence as he pressed for the maximum sentence.
According to the Prosecutor, a knife and axe had been used to inflict injuries on the late Dookie, whom she said had been in a “defenceless” situation when he was overpowered by the trio.
Describing the attack on Dookie as “unsuspecting”, given his relationship with Persaud, the Prosecutor submitted that the man’s murder was a display of wanton disregard for life.
Considering the foregoing, she asked the court to impose a sentence that reflects the serious nature and gravity of the well-orchestrated crime perpetrated.
In narrating the facts on Thursday, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry said Persaud had observed Dookie with a stack of $5000 notes, and had plotted with the others to rob and kill the man.
She said, too, that the three men had given the Police caution statements outlining their roles in the crime. In her sentencing remarks, the Judge expressed that the man’s murder was a “deliberate and premeditated” act.
In considering an appropriate sentence for each of the convicts, she inter alia, considered these aggravating factors: the prevalence of felony murder; the emotional trauma caused to Dookie’s family as a result of his death; and the serious injuries inflicted upon the now dead man.
The other aggravating factor, she highlighted, was that the three men were all adults when they murdered the vendor, and as such, they ought to have known the consequences of their actions.
According to Justice Sewnarine-Beharry, Persaud and Ramdhan continue to profess their innocence, despite there being “cogent evidence” implicating them in the crime. She said Ramdhan killed Dookie while Ramdhan was out on bail for attempted murder.
In her sentencing remarks, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry noted that the mitigating factors outweigh the aggravating factors. She highlighted that the convicts had cooperated with law enforcement officials when they were arrested; there are no reports of infractions against them by prison authorities; and they had all grown up in dysfunctional families. She reasoned that their lack of education and intellect may have led them to make poor choices.
After examining the felons’ expressions of penitence, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry concluded that Dhanai is the only one who appeared “genuinely remorseful” for his criminal conduct. In the circumstances, each of the convicts was sentenced to imprisonment for life. Persaud and Ramdhan can apply for parole after 30 years, while Dhanai can do so after 20 years.
The Director of Prisons was ordered to ensure that the three killers enroll in literacy, anger management, vocational training and behavioural change courses.
They had each been represented by legal counsel.