A brother and two sisters convicted of killing their brother will be told their fate on Friday when their sentences are read out to them at the high court.
The courtroom is expected to be packed when Justice Brian Cottle passes sentence on convicted murderers Herbert Xavier, Lauretta Xavier and Manuella Williams.
The three siblings from Soufriere were found guilty by a nine-member jury earlier this month on March 9, of murdering their brother Harrison Williams two years ago.
The jury concluded that the brother and two sisters murdered their brother Harrison on the 24th day of September, 2010 following an argument which began between Herbert Xavier and Harrison Williams.
Williams suffered multiple injuries to his head and also had two fractures to his ribs, among other injuries.
He was pronounced dead by a medical doctor on arrival at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).
Herbert Xavier had told the court that his brother was the aggressor since he had struck him with a piece of wood and he (Herbert Xavier) was defending himself by striking him once.
Manuella and Lauretta denied beating their brother or taking part in the crime at all.
They are not expected to be sentenced to death, although that is the mandated sentence for murder.
That’s because of the “Pratt and Morgan” death sentence ruling by the London-based Privy Council, Dominica’s final appellate body, which ruled that the mandatory sentence of “death” was “inhumane or degrading” and should be commuted to “life imprisonment”.
In 1993, in the case of Pratt and Morgan v The Attorney General of Jamaica, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) held that a delay in excess of five years or more would constitute ‘cruel and inhuman treatment’ contrary to the Constitution of Jamaica.
everybody hungry for money and we are never satisfiy with what we have
LIFE BEHIND BARS!!! THAT THEY DESERVE…
No it should be death
Young Dominicans get off your backside from the
so called lazy benches and look for work,if you don’t invest in the Country, the Country cannot invest in you,Lazy B—–ds.
As a nation we stopped looking to God- we stopped asking him to take control of our land- we forgot him when things started getting better and now we realize what our country is becoming we’re still not asking him to take control. we stopped praying and so we as a nation must pay. These siblings forgot that God is the judge in all this and when their brother’s blood cried out to God he heard. Its about time our leaders of this land give back control to God! I just hope these siblings will confess their sins to God ask him for forgiveness and accept Christ into their lives or else the guilt is going to eat away at them and they will not be able to bear it. i pray that the Judge gives the punishment that is right by law and not give them some stupid slap on the wrist charge.
some body get a doctor to check these people pressure because it must be high!
Lord have mercy!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s said to see my people have gone so low in their dignity. Why should be continuously kill each other?
That is like asking Cain why he murdered Abel.Some people have too much guts.I hope he haunts them forever.
Well, everything is for a time. We aii are just passing through. Every road has a bend and an end.
That legal reasoning of your writer is flawed. If the mandatory sentence is death then the judge has no option but to pass this sentence. The fact that judges do not follow this is itself unlawful. Yes, they may appeal and the sentence may well be commuted to life but the fact remains that the law says that the hands of the judge is tied. This appeal case you are quoting is not binding on the courts of Dominica since the Privy Council has to look at each individual case before it and rule on its merits. But having said that, since when do judges in Dominica have any regard to the law?
Lord have mercy….. That’s just so sad on both sides of this family!
LORD HELP EACH FAMILIES IN THE WORLD TODAY SO SAD.
lord have mercy on us we are living in the last days. Every one has a problem I wander when will it end sisters agianst mother, brothers agianst fathers, neigbhours agianst neigbhours. Where are we going to. Lord plead yr blood on this country.
you see …is the same thing…violence violence violence in families…..and when allyou finish allu want to tell me i need a psychiatrist….well I’m a psychiatrist…and psychiatrist don’t need psychiatrists…
there will always be crimes..come on itshuman being…but you want to decrease it…stop the abuse of children
and I’m also a forensic psychiatrist “unofficial”
I think u psychotic offical
and a patient