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Friends get life imprisonment for murder of Sophia woman
Kaieteur News – Gold miner, Cleavaughn Hamilton, called ‘Quarters,’ of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, and his friend, Ranachal Singh, 37, a taxi-driver of Lot 7 Goodfaith, Mahaicony, ECD, were on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a Sophia woman back in 2016.
Murdered, Simone Hackett
It was on April 16, 2016, when Hamilton’s child mother Simone Hackett, 25 was reported missing after she left her ‘C’ Field Sophia house. On April 19, 2016, her partially decomposed body was discovered in a trench parallel to the University of Guyana (UG) road, at Fourth Field, Cummings Lodge. It was reported that her throat was slit and there was what appeared to be two stab wounds to the back of her neck.
The sentence was handed down by Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court. In handing down his sentence, Justice Kissoon first highlighted that the crime was a deliberate, calculated, cruel act of murder conceived, premeditated and brutally executed by both of the accused. He noted that they acted together for the purpose of carrying out the brutal murder of a young mother. The judge pointed out the role both men played in aiding and abetting the murder of Hackett.
Jailed, Cleavaughn Hamilton
Notably, Justice Kissoon stated too that he does not accept Singh’s plea of mitigation and said that like Hamilton, Singh is a murderer and no less culpable. “Accused one [Hamilton] and accused two [Singh] are the architects and executors of this heinous crime and I sentenced them both to life imprisonment. They are to serve the minimum of 30 years before they are eligible for parole,” Justice Kissoon said.
In this matter, the State was represented by Prosecutor, Muntaz Ali. Hamilton was represented by attorney-at-law Alaira Murphy-Goodman while Singh was represented by attorney-at-law Latchmie Rahamat.
On their first appearance, Singh denied the murder charge that was read to him but opted to plead guilty to manslaughter. Hamilton had denied the murder charge and was scheduled for trial. However, he later changed his plea and admitted to murdering his child mother.
Jailed, Ranachal Singh
According to the statement of the agreed facts, during the month of March in 2016, Hackett and Hamilton had a dispute over their son.
Hamilton admitted that on April 16, 2016, he contacted Singh to take him to pick up Hackett. The men lured the young woman to the UG Road by having Singh calling her and pretending to be Dexter- someone she usually collects items sent by Hamilton from.
The woman left home believing that she was going to meet Dexter and she was later picked up in Singh’s car with Hamilton inside. Hamilton also admitted to stabbing Hackett several times about her body and slashing her throat with a knife. The men then stopped the car at a bushy concrete bridge and Hamilton dragged Hackett’s body out of Singh’s car and dumped her in a nearby trench, where he also disposed of the murder weapon.
After committing the crime, the two men stopped at a canal on the East Coast of Demerara, where Hamilton soaked his shirt and used it to clean the blood stains from the car. They then drove to Mahdia, Region Eight.
A few days later, Hackett’s body was discovered, along with the weapon that was used to kill her. Hackett died from an incised wound to her neck and there were 11 other incised wounds to her body. Hamilton was later arrested and gave an oral statement of the role he played. He also led the police to the spot where Hackett was picked up. Singh’s car was also discovered with bloodstains on the seats and maggots below the mats in the back seat.
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