A Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown man has received a life sentence for the September 4, 2016 murder of his aunt, 47-year-old Anita Mohan. Kevin Mohan called ‘Chuckie”, 26, who was formally charged with the capital offence earlier this month had pleaded not guilty to when his trial began.
However, following deliberations, a 12-member jury found him unanimously guilty of the crime before Justice Sandil Kissoon who is presiding at the High Court in Demerara. The murder convict was represented by Attorney-at-law Damien DaSilva, while Senior State Counsel Lisa Cave led the prosecution’s case.
Based on reports, the battered body of Anita Mohan was discovered in a pool of blood in the kitchen of her Lot 315 South East Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown home. Police had said that Kevin Mohan confessed to killing his aunt during the course/ furtherance of a robbery.
Police Headquarters also said that the man admitted to having a male accomplice.
A post-mortem examination revealed that the woman sustained a chop wound to her head and one in the vicinity of her temple, along with a stab wound to her chin and one in her mouth. A portion of her tongue was severed, and she was strangled. Her cause of death was given as cerebral haemorrhage.
At a sentencing hearing Thursday, a Probation Officer revealed that Kevin’s father abandoned him when he was a child, while his mother who was reportedly a “lady of the night” died at an early age. As such, the Probation Officer said that Anita, who sold beverages and vegetables and reared cows, raised Kevin.
According to the official, Kevin’s relatives said he did not had many friends and went on to describe him as a hasty person who is prone to becoming angry very easily, more so when he consumes alcohol.
Prison officers, the Probation Officer disclosed, referred to him as a humble individual who did not give them any trouble during his incarceration. Further, he said that prison officials posited that Kevin is a good candidate for rehabilitation since he is a first-time offender.
While his aunt raised him from childhood, the Probation Officer added that the convict expressed that it was never a life of comfort since he began working during his early teenage years. “The relatives of the deceased are asking for justice to be done in a way that will send a message that the taking of life will not be condoned in a law-abiding society,” the official said.
According to the Probation Officer, Kevin in engaging in such a crime should have considered that his aunt made sacrifices to raise and provide for him. In this regard, the official opined that his actions can be considered tantamount to “biting the hands that fed him.”
“…And for such brutality to be meted out to a defenceless woman who is a blood relative speaks to the mindset of a deranged beast… such person should be excised from society,” said the Probation Officer, who also pointed out that Kevin has shown no remorse for his illegal behaviour.
Meanwhile, Kevin told the Probation Officer that he loved his aunt and knows nothing about her death.
In fact, when given a chance to address the Court, Kevin exclaimed, “I getting jail for something me did not do. I didn’t get a fair trial; I was victimised. Only Allah could judge me; father knows the truth. I suffering bad in jail for something me did not do.
For his part, Justice Kissoon declared that the Court will show Kevin no mercy.
Describing how the woman met her demise, the Judge said, “Such was the degree of savagery cruelty and violence unleashed upon Anita Mohan in the course of this crime by [Kevin] that the scene in the kitchen of the lower flat was described, according to the testimony of the witness as a blood bath.”
The Judge noted that the now dead woman’s relatives described her as industrious, hardworking, generous, and supportive. In his sentencing remarks, Justice Kissoon reminded Kevin that his aunt raised him from a baby, and despite his habit of stealing from her home, she still cared for him.
“Kevin Mohan you have been given support, kindness, and benefited from acts of love in the dwelling of your aunt. The reward you give her in turn for her acts of generosity is this brutal, heinous killing,” said the Judge. He added, “[Kevin] your actions speak to a calculated, planned criminal act to kill and to rob Anita Mohan. The deceased was killed by you for financial benefit.”
According to the High Court Judge, he found no mitigating factors given the circumstances of the crime.
“Your age, 22 at the time [of the commissioning of the offence] does not constitute a mitigating factor as the majority of crimes of this nature, felony murder, in particular, killing in the course of a robbery are committed by persons of this age.”
The Judge noted this fact is highlighted in a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal of Trinidad and Tobago.
“Your cruelty to one who considered and treated you as a son will attract no mercy from this Court,” Justice Kissoon declared. In the end, the Justice imposed a sentence of life on Kevin and noted that the sentence of the Court “must be sufficiently severe to serve as a deterrent.”
The convicted killer has to serve a minimum term of 30 years in jail before he becomes eligible for parole.
