Duo sentenced to life for 2020 shooting death of ‘Gaza’
Despite maintaining their innocence, Sitaffa Joseph, 32, called ‘Safo’ and Rickford Marcus, 27, better known as ‘Spent Shell,’ were on Monday handed life sentences for the 2020 shooting death of Seon London.
London, called ‘Gaza,’ was fatally shot in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, on October 17, 2020.
Joseph of Trench Road, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, and Marcus of James Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, were sentenced by Justice Navindra Singh in the High Court in Demerara after a mixed 12-member jury found the men guilty of the premeditated murder.
During the mitigation plea, the convicts’ attorney, Leslie Sobers, urged the court to balance justice with mercy.
He argued that his clients were under the influence of marijuana at the time of the incident, which he claimed impaired their judgment and hindered their ability to act with clarity.
Moreover, Marcus and Joseph maintained their innocence during the proceeding while expressing condolences to the family.
However, London’s grieving mother submitted a victim impact statement to the court, urging the imposition of the maximum penalty on her son’s killers.
She noted that no one should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one, especially under such cruel circumstances.
In the end, Justice Singh sentenced the convicts to life imprisonment, setting their parole eligibility at a base term of 30 years.
He added five years for premeditation, five years for the use of a firearm, and three years for prior convictions, resulting in a total of 43 years. However, the court ordered that the time they spent in pre-trial detention be deducted from this period.
It was reported that London, of D’Andrade Street, Newtown, Georgetown, and his wife were visiting a friend, Sophia, on the day of his demise.
At some point, his wife left to purchase a barbecue, leaving London and his friend sitting on a bench outside a yard.
At around 18:35h, two men reportedly approached and fired multiple shots at the pair. The friend, who threw himself to the ground and remained motionless until the assailants fled, told investigators that London collapsed after being struck.
According to police, the gunmen fled the scene on foot after the attack. Hearing the gunshots, London’s wife rushed back to find her husband lying in a pool of blood.
With the help of residents, he was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police reported that the victim sustained five gunshot wounds to his head, arm, and other parts of his body.
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