Woman to stand trial for 2018 killing of common-law husband

Melissa Cylus is expected to stand trial on June 5 before Justice Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown High Courts, for the 2018 killing of her common-law husband, Julian Anthony Reberio. Cylus, who is charged with manslaughter, has entered a not-guilty plea.
On May 29, 2018, Cylus, then 28 years old, had appeared before City Magistrate Daly, where she was not required to plead to the indictable charge, and was granted bail in the sum of GY$200,000. The charge against her alleges that on May 13, 2018, at about 3:00h., she unlawfully killed 32-year-old Reberio at their residence at Soesdyke Back Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Cylus initially claimed that her reputed husband had returned home intoxicated and had fallen in the house.
She told investigators that she rushed him to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where he was pronounced dead. In another statement, she said she had tried to wake him, but he was unresponsive. However, the findings of a post-mortem conducted by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh, revealed that Reberio died from asphyxiation due to compression injuries to the neck, indicating death by strangulation. There was no evidence of any head injuries listed in the autopsy report. Cylus was arrested on May 25, 2018, and, following hours of interrogation at the Timehri Police Station, she allegedly admitted that she and Reberio had gotten into an argument and, in a moment of anger, she strangled him.

When the matter was recalled before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in June 2018, it was disclosed by Police Prosecutor Inspector Neville Jeffers that the post-mortem report was still outstanding. He requested a three-week adjournment, and the matter was postponed until July 4, 2018. At that hearing, the Chief Magistrate ordered that Cylus undergo counselling for anxiety disorder, and assigned her to a probation officer. Cylus, who was six months pregnant at the time of her arraignment, has remained out on bail pending the outcome of the case that begins Wednesday.