Taxi driver gets 15 years for Water Street killing

Nov 07, 2015 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

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A 15 year jail sentence was imposed by Justice Jo Ann Barlow on Joseph Williams at the Georgetown Supreme Court yesterday.
The 30-year- old taxi driver and father of four, was the lone accused implicated in the robbery/murder of handyman Victor Da Silva.
Da Silva was shot and killed after a group of armed bandits ambushed and robbed him and his employer, gas station proprietor, Albert Gajadhar, in Kingston on July 8, 2013.
At the time of the shooting, the two men were on their way to Republic Bank to make a cash deposit.  The gunmen reportedly escaped with $8 million.
Da Silva of Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara is said to have sustained at least four gunshot wounds about his body.
During the trial, a video recording of an interview between the police and Williams, shown in open court, detailed that on the day of the shooting Williams was hired as a chauffeur by a group of men, who were planning to steal a motor car.
He related that the men requested that he follow a Toyota Rav 4 vehicle but while following the vehicle, in the vicinity of Water Street, Georgetown, he heard what sounded like gunshots. It appeared as if someone had opened fire on the car they were following.
Williams told the police that he became confused.
Uncertain of what was happening at the time, he said that he exited the vehicle and ran for cover. The man claimed that when he returned to the car, the passenger had left but he remained at the scene of the crime, until he was arrested by the police.
Williams was facing two charges for the crime; murder and attempted murder.   He pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter on the charge of murder on October 28; last, at the commencement of his trial.
He also pleaded guilty to the indictment of attempted murder read to him, yesterday.
Prior to the sentencing yesterday, a probation report was provided to the court. The report outlined that Williams had a good childhood and solid education. He grew up with his grandparents and when he was old enough, he enlisted in the Army and later the Police Force.
According to the report, Williams admitted that he had made some bad decisions which placed his life on a downward spiral.  He also expressed remorse for the role he played in the crime.
In his plea of mitigation, Defence Attorney Peter Hugh underlined the fact that his client threw himself at the court and did not waste precious judicial time.
But the Judge reminded the Attorney that his client only pleaded guilty after the testimony of nine witnesses and four days of trial.
Hugh then asked the Judge to consider that his client had taken responsibility for his actions, had shown remorse and spent some time in prison pending the hearing of the case.
When he was permitted to speak, Williams stood up and continually apologized to the relatives of the deceased and to the gas station proprietor, who was present at the hearing.
“Please forgive me,” said Williams “There is not a day that I do not sit in prison and think of the consequences of my actions and the pain it caused you.”
In her considerations Justice Barlow noted that only a custodial sentence will send a clear message to potential offenders that what Williams did was wrong, it is punishable by the law and that they should not follow suit.
The Judge took into the consideration the probation report that Williams had a solid family background from which he strayed.
Judge Barlow told the prisoner that he started straying from small things; he left the Army without permission and was cited for petty theft in the Police Force.  She also noted that the fact that Williams was willing to engage in the act of stealing a car, shows that he was willing to do wrong.
The act, the Judge said, would have required that Williams used deadly force, at some point.   This, she said is quite troubling.
Justice Barlow also underlined the fact that Williams participated in a crime which altered the lives of two productive members of society; the 72-year-old handyman was shot and killed and the 60-year-old gas station owner was shot twice to the head, where a bullet remains lodged to this day.
Taking all the circumstances into consideration, the judge sentenced Williams to 25 years on the manslaughter plea; five years taken off for guilty plea;   two years, four months was deducted for the time spent in prison pending trial, and two years, eight months subtracted for remorse.
He was also sentenced to twenty years for the attempted murder charge, but six years was deducted for the instant guilty plea.  The sentences will run concurrently
Before he could leave the courtroom, the Judge told Williams that it is quite a sad scenario for the prison to be occupied by so many young men. She advised him to use his time in the penitentiary to better himself and to encourage other young men to stay away from a life of crime.

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