“It would hurt me to hurt a woman”

Jul 24, 2018 News

Patricia Sanasie murder accused recounts horror of seeing mother abused

MURDERED: Patricia Sanasie

He spoke for over an hour trying to convince the jury that he had nothing to do with the murder of Patricia Sanasie, who was gunned down just as she was about to enter her yard at Atlantic Ville, East Coast Demerara.
Richard Stanton, who is on trial for the murder of Patricia Sanasie, presented his side of the story yesterday to a 12-member mixed jury.
During a lengthy unsworn testimony, Stanton who is alleged to have shot and killed Sanasie on January 12, 2015, emphasized that he does not have the gut to kill anyone.
Taking the court back to his life as a child, Stanton told the court that on numerous occasions he witnessed his mother being abused by her partners, just so that she can provide for their family.
Directing the attention of the jury to his mother who was seated in the courtroom, the murder accused pointed to several cuts and scars on his mother’s face. He added that she received them at the hands of her abusive spouses.
“It would hurt me to hurt a woman,” a pitiful Stanton told trial Judge Brassington Reynolds at the High Court in Georgetown. “I am not a killer. I didn’t kill that woman. I have no need to do that. I have three boy children and they all depend on me.”
He continued, “I have been away from them for three years for something I have never done,” as he pointed to the mother of his children who was also seated in the courtroom. The murder accused disclosed that he and the woman have been in a relationship for the past 11 years.
Recalling that he and eight other men were placed on an identification parade held at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters sometime in April 2015, Stanton said that he refused to switch clothing with another man on the ID parade.
He pointed out that his reason for doing this was because he and the man were not the same size.
According to the murder accused, Police Sergeant Rodwell Sarrabo was among the three police ranks who informed him that he was pointed out as the person who shot and killed Sanasie.
He added that after this was relayed to him, he told the police ranks, “I am not a criminal. I am not a killer.”
Stanton recounted that afterwards Sergeant Sarrabo turned to him and said, “Boy you got to get a lawyer now.”
According to Stanton, “I turn and seh, boy watch what y’all doing to me. And then he (Sergeant Sarrabo) seh is not we, we does work with instructions.”
In addition to Stanton talking his side of the story, the defence and prosecution presented closing arguments.
Stanton is being represented by Attorney-at-law Mark Waldron in association with Attorney-at-law Keoma Griffith.
Appearing for the prosecution are State Counsel Tiffini Lyken, State Counsel Narissa Leander and State Counsel Seeta Bishundial.
This trial is continuing.
Reports are that 45-year-old Sanasie was riddled with bullets by gunmen clad in black just as she was about to enter her yard. She was shot to the chest, abdomen, neck and groin.
The shooting occurred almost a year after her husband survived a similar attempt on his life. It was reported that Romona Sanasie, daughter of the deceased, positively identified Stanton as her mother’s killer.
At the time of her mother’s death, the young woman was in the car with her mother.