‘Pumpkin Man’ to end prison term soon

JADA LOUTOO

A LAVENTILLE man has only one year and five months to serve out an 18 year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty last week to the unlawful killing (manslaughter) of a man on Prince Street, Port of Spain in 2009.

Jerome Sebastian Findley, also known as “Pumpkin Man,” of Upper Wharton Street, Laventille was on Friday sentenced by Justice Althea Alexis-Windsor in the Port of Spain High Court.

The judge, who started with an 18 year prison term, reduced Findley’s sentence after taking into account his guilty plea, the time he spent in prison before being able to plead guilty, his clean prison record and the diverse positive testimonials from his relatives and members of the Laventille community. She said any further remission of the sentence would have to be carried out by the prison authority since she had no control over that process.

Findley, who wore a pumpkin-orange shirt to court, thanked the judge after he was sentenced by her. Findley, 31, who was a CD vendor at the time of the incident, was initially charged with the murder of Michael “Devil” Dyer on February 19, 2009. The prosecution accepted Findley’s guilty plea to the lesser count of manslaughter.

He admitted to plunging a knife into Dyer’s chest just outside the Lucky Jordan Bar on Prince Street, after the two got into an argument minutes earlier. The fatal stab sliced through Dyer’s heart. The knife used by Findley belonged to a George Street fish vendor.

He told police in an interview, he went to the Lucky Jordan Bar to purchase drinks and was five dollars short. He said Dyer began cursing and the owner of the bar said he did not want that behaviour in his establishment. Findley said he left the bar and Dyer followed him and continued cursing him. He said he cursed back and Dyer pulled out a knife and began swinging it at him.

Findley was represented by attorneys Selwyn Mohammed and Alexia Romero while senior prosecutor Anju Bhola appeared for the State.

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