Just over one week since facing trial for his wife’s murder, Miguel “Allan” Barker was on Monday afternoon found guilty of committing the offence of murder by the unanimous decision of a 12-member jury, and was subsequently sentenced to 80 years’ imprisonment by High Court Justice Navindra Singh.
The judge had started computing Barker’s sentence at a base of 60 years, but took into consideration the fact that the accused had shown no remorse when the jury returned the verdict, as he opted to maintain his innocence. Barker later changed his mind, indicating that he was “sorry for what happened,” but Justice Singh observed that Barker had premeditated the crime, as he was seen at the house of the attack on a previous occasion.
State Prosecutor Tiffini Lyken, in her address to the court, reminded that six stab wounds had been inflicted upon the deceased Donessa Barker, called Vanessa. Lyken also observed that some of the wounds the woman had received were in self-defence. She drew attention to the instrument that was used, and noted that a 4-year-old child is left without a mother, while the woman’s relatives are still dealing with the open emotional wounds they had sustained from Donessa Barker’s death.
In a plea of mitigation, defence attorney Maxwell McKay said his client is a father and is a “very religious person”. However, Justice Singh added 10 years to the sentence for premeditation, and another 10 years for the case being a domestic violence matter.
After the sentence was announced, the woman’s relatives were seen sobbing and consoling each other, while Barker was led off into custody with no show of emotion.
The convicted murderer and his late spouse Donessa had shared a rocky relationship, which included extensive arguments, multiple allegations of infidelity, and reported physical violence. Things escalated on the evening of April 29, 2015 when Barker dropped a knife after threatening his wife late that night, and climaxed the following afternoon when he was seen jumping out of the window after stabbing his wife to death.
The woman is said to have died from incised wounds, and it was proven that she was stabbed to the chest. On the night of the crime, the Barkers were reportedly heard arguing prior to the stabbing at the Inner Bagotville, West Bank Demerara home where the couple was staying.
Persons nearby had attempted to rescue the woman, and had rushed her to hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries. Her husband had however fled the scene and was found just days after at Sophia, Greater Georgetown. He had always denied that he was responsible for his wife’s killing.
Before the woman’s death, the couple had been married for almost two years. The State was represented by Prosecutors Lyken, Narissa Leander and Abigail Gibbs. (Shemuel Fanfair)
