Morvant man resentenced for 'senseless' 1994 murder

AFTER spending almost three decades in prison for a 1994 murder, Martin Reid can expect to be released in the next three months and 12 days.

That is how much he has left to serve on his sentence, which Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds handed down on February 28.

On November 15, 1995, Reid was convicted and sentenced to death for the April 13, 1994 murder of Fabrina Alleyne in Morvant. His appeals to the Court of Appeal and the Privy Council were rejected. His sentence was then commuted to life imprisonment, but in 2022 a judge held this was unconstitutional and unlawful, in keeping with a ruling of the Privy Council which said former death-row inmates who had their sentences commuted were entitled to be resentenced by the High Court.

Reid’s case was docketed to Ramsumair-Hinds, who applied the established sentencing principles and also credited the 29 years, eight months and 16 days he has spent in prison, leaving him with three months and 12 days left to serve.

“The sentence is to be served in its entirety.”

Through this sentence, she said, society would have its proverbial pound of flesh.

She also said she was not minded to grant an immediate conditional release and the next three months would give Reid’s relatives time to put things in place for his return.

“Do not be discouraged that you are not leaving prison today,” she told him.

She credited the efforts he made in prison to learn tailoring.

“I place a great deal of hope in you…You have strong prospects for reintegration into society.

"This is not a mamaguy. What you did was horrible. However, you spent a lot of time incarcerated and used that time quite well.

“I hope to never see you darken the criminal justice system and become a stellar member of society, helping younger persons understand the lesson you have learned and the price you have paid.

“You have done what most of us expect you to do: that is, pay for what you did.”

Earlier, the judge referred to Alleyne’s killing as senseless.

She was in the company of some friends, making their way to Port of Spain at 8.30 am. when Reid approached the group on a track close to the Neal and Massy compound. He had two guns in his hands. Six shots were heard and Alleyne fell to the ground.

Reid ran, but one of Alleyne’s friends recognised him, since he lived in the same area. She also noticed his limp as he ran by.

Two months later, when questioned by police, he claimed he was at his godsister’s home. However, she denied that.

At his trial, he said he was nowhere near Morvant that morning and denied shooting Alleyne.

His own witness admitted to identifying Reid to the police.

Reid, who is now 58, was represented by Senior Counsel John Heath. Charmaine Samuel represented the State at the resentencing hearing.