Appeal Court converts death sentence to 25 years in prison for Mahaica man convicted of murder

May 09, 2021 News

Rupert Brown

Seema Singh

Kaieteur News – Six years after, he was sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of his wife, Rupert Brown successfully petitioned the Appeal Court and had his sentence commuted to 25 years in prison.
Brown called “Bird Man,” was sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of his reputed wife Seema Singh, on October 17, 2014 by High Court Justice Brassington Reynolds.
However, a dissatisfied, Brown with the aid of his attorney Mark Conway, moved to the Appeal Court to have his conviction and sentencing overturned. Conway had argued that the sentencing was excessive and was unconstitutional.
The appeal was heard before the Chancellor (ag) of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud. The State was represented by prosecutor Teshana Lake.
In her submission, State Prosecutor Lake had conceded that the death sentence handed down by the trial judge should have imposed a term of years or a life sentence onto Brown. As such, the Appeal Court, on Friday granted Brown’s request and converted the death penalty to a term of years.
Brown was found guilty of murdering Singh, 30, a mother of two, at Helena Number One Village, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD). According to reports, Singh, who hails from Richmond Village, Essequibo, was stabbed multiple times about her body. Details of the matter suggested that Brown, who had shared a common-law relationship with the woman, became enraged after she left their Mahaica residence to visit her children in Essequibo.
The woman had promised to return within a certain time but when she did not, Brown went in search of her. The man eventually caught up with his wife at a relative’s house in Mahaica, where she had sought refuge. According to reports, Brown, in a fit of rage, stabbed his reputed wife several times about her body. An eyewitness had recounted that the accused only stopped when the woman ceased screaming and was lying on the ground, gasping for breath.
Moments after the incident, the injured woman was taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital but was eventually transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where she succumbed.

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