Hotelier Erwin Bacchus of Fifth Avenue, Subryanville, Georgetown was on Tuesday was committed to stand trial at the High Court for the murder of Jason De Florimonte, who was fatally shot last year.
The 46-old-year man, who is the owner of Tourist Villa Hotel in Subryanville, was committed by Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Providence Magistrates’ Courts when the preliminary inquiry into the matter was concluded.
Bacchus was represented by Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes, while Attorney-at-Law, Dexter Todd represented the State on behalf of the prosecutor.
Reports are that on August 4, 2018, 30-year-old Jason De Florimonte of Lot 96 Fifth Avenue, Subryanville Georgetown, was reportedly assaulting his girlfriend, Christine Rambarran, in front of his home at around 01:45hrs.
This caught the attention of a 29-year-old handyman employed by the hotel, who intervened to assist the woman.
That intervention reportedly angered De Florimonte, and an argument ensued. Realizing that the situation was escalating, the handyman ran into the hotel, with De Florimonte in hot pursuit.
Reports are that during this process, Bacchus whipped out his licensed firearm and allegedly fired several shots in De Florimonte’s direction. De Florimonte was shot, and was subsequently rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
A postmortem examination conducted on his body has given his cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.
Bacchus was initially charged with manslaughter when he made his first court appearance and was released on $1.5 million bail.
However, the manslaughter charge was withdrawn and upgraded to the capital offence of murder, based on the recommendations of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) after an investigation into the incident was completed.
