Tag: Justice Mauricia Joseph-Patrick

Princes Town couple get 29 yrs for ex-fireman's murder

A PRINCES TOWN couple who killed the woman’s previous abusive boyfriend have been sentenced to a total of 29 years for their roles in the businessman’s murder.

Dwayne Baldeo and Renee Mohammed were sentenced by Justice Mauricia Joseph-Patrick in the San Fernando High Court for the October 28, 2020, murder of Christopher Hosein.

Hosein, 45, a businessman, who resigned from the Fire Service about ten years ago, lived at St James Street in Princes Town. There, he ran his business, Expert Fire and Safety Ltd. A farmer found his burnt body near his burnt Kia Sorento in a gravel road off the M1 Tasker Road in the Ste Madeleine police district. A yellow rope was tied around Hosein’s neck, his hands were bound, and his eyes were covered with duct tape.

Police investigations quickly focused on Baldeo and Mohammed after CCTV footage, witness accounts, and forensic evidence linked them to Hosein’s apartment. A white Toyota Fielder wagon driven by Baldeo was intercepted later that day, and items belonging to the deceased were recovered. A post-mortem examination determined that Hosein died from a combination of asphyxia, inhalation of soot, burns, and blunt force trauma to the head.

Baldeo and Mohammed both pleaded guilty to murder on the basis of felony murder under a plea agreement with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The agreement followed their indictment on June 18, 2024, for Hosein’s murder of Hosein. In sentencing the two, Justice Joseph-Patrick adopted a starting point of 33 years’ imprisonment for both. Baldeo benefited from a downward adjustment of three years for his conduct while incarcerated. A further one-third reduction was applied for his guilty plea, amounting to ten years. After also taking into account time already spent on remand of almost five years, Joseph-Patrick imposed a final sentence of a little over 15 years’ imprisonment.

Baldeo was represented by Rajiv Persad, SC, and Ajesh Summesar.

Mohammed’s starting point was also reduced by three years for remorse and positive conduct in prison. An additional one-year reduction was granted in light of her background, personal history, and immaturity at the time of the offence. She was 23 at the time. A further one-third reduction for her guilty plea, amounting to nine years and eight months,was applied. After credit for time spent in custody, Mohammed received a final sentence of slightly over 14 years’ imprisonment.

She was represented by attorneys Michelle Ali and Kameika Peters of the Public Defenders’ Department.

In an affidavit placed before the court, Mohammed described a deeply troubled personal history, including childhood sexual abuse and a turbulent, on-and-off relationship with Hosein. She said aspects of that relationship caused past trauma to resurface and contributed to her emotional state at the time.

Mohammed admitted she and Baldeo were also in a tumultuous relationship. He helped her and her mother financially and with errands. She said it was never her intuition to lead him on, but she now realises she was wrong for entertaining his advances. She detailed incidents in which she alleged he had previously assaulted her, leading to serious injuries and extended hospitalisation.

According to Mohammed, after her release from hospital she moved in with Hosein due to her physical condition and financial dependence. She said she also suffered abuse by Hosein while recovering from her injuries.

She claimed that she later disclosed her experiences to Baldeo, who offered to “rough up” Hosein. She admitted accepting that offer and helping to plan the encounter, but maintained that she did not intend or expect Hosein to die.

“I understand that I was a party in the act that caused the deceased to die,” Mohammed stated, “but I had no intention or knowledge that he was going to die.”

She described the past five years in custody as “a nightmare” and expressed remorse for her actions.

Former UNC activist found not guilty of murder

A jury on December 12 found former prominent United National Congress (UNC) activist Marvin Lezama not guilty of a 2012 murder.

Lezama was before Justice Mauricia Joseph-Patrick and a Port of Spain jury.

Lezama had been charged with the July 22, 2012, killing of Stephan Haynes in the Bon Air Gardens, Arouca. The state alleged that Lezama and an unidentified accomplice, described as “the tall man,” shot Haynes multiple times in what was described as an execution-style killing.

The State’s case relied primarily on three eyewitnesses. One witness claimed to have seen Lezama earlier that day with Haynes and the alleged accomplice and said the interaction appeared aggressive. That witness later testified under cross-examination that police pressured him to give a statement while he was hospitalised for gunshot wounds and that he neither read nor signed the statement attributed to him. He said he did not know Lezama and did not see him in the area on the day of the killing, and he did not identify Lezama in court.

A second witness, Haynes’ former girlfriend, told the court she heard gunshots while showering and later saw Lezama and the tall man running from the scene. Under cross-examination, she admitted becoming friendly with the investigating officer after the incident, including sharing wine, but denied any romantic relationship. She identified Lezama in court.

The third witness, who was eight years old at the time, gave unsworn statements to police in 2012. He later testified that he did not see the shooting and that he was told by his grandmother what to say, including identifying Lezama. He did not identify Lezama during the trial.

Lezama’s attorneys argued the case was fabricated through collusion between police and witnesses. They pointed to inconsistencies in witness descriptions of the suspect’s height, clothing, hairstyle and headwear, and said the state failed to establish key factors in a recognition case, including lighting, distance, duration and frequency of prior encounters.

Lezama did not testify. The defence relied on police interview notes from September 2012 in which he denied the killing and said he had moved away from the Arouca area weeks earlier after being robbed. The jury was directed to consider Lezama a man of good character as he had no prior convictions apart from traffic offences.

Lezama has said he believes the case was motivated by retaliation stemming from a successful lawsuit he brought against the state for wrongful arrest and malicious prosecution related to his political activity in the early 2000s, for which he was awarded damages totaling $225,000.

He was represented by attorneys Suneesh Singh, Mikkell Samaroo, Jaiden Beharry and Karena Jawahir.

Separate offences for alleged firearm and ammuntion possession, which were severed from the murder count and remain pending, will return to court on December 19. Lezama was granted $20,000 on those charges.

Man acquitted of sex offences in AJIPA trial

A 63-year-old man was acquitted of all four counts of sexual penetration against a minor female by nine jurors after a trial conducted under the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act (AJIPA).

The verdict was delivered at the Port of Spain High Court on March 27.

The allegations stemmed from four separate incidents that allegedly took place between April 8, 2021, and April 8, 2022. The accused was arrested and charged on December 11, 2023. He was arraigned and pleaded not guilty before Justice Mauricia Joseph-Patrick when the trial started on March 10.

According to the prosecution, the alleged victim, a friend of the accused’s daughter, visited his home on multiple occasions and engaged in sexual intercourse with him. The prosecution further alleged that the accused gave the victim money and a cell phone. Two family members of the victim testified in support of these claims.

During the trial, the alleged victim had to have her memory refreshed multiple times from her prior statements given to the police. In closing addresses, defence attorneys Collin Elbourne and Janeil Chuck of the Public Defenders’ Department pointed to inconsistencies and contradictions in her testimony and that of her relatives. They also raised concerns over the lack of statements from independent witnesses, arguing that the case against the accused was unreliable and implausible.

At the trial, the accused consistently denied the allegations, asserting that the victim and her family had fabricated the claims. A close family member of the accused testified in his defense.

The case highlighted the efficiency of AJIPA in expediting criminal proceedings, with the accused’s trial concluding within 15 months of his arrest.

Rebecca Trim-Wright and Bisram Ramdatt from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions prosecuted.