Arraigned before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry in the Demerara High Court on a charge of murder, 41-year-old Tyron James, a carpenter of Port Kaituma in Region One (Barima-Waini), entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter; thereby accepting that he killed his reputed wife, 37-year-old Evanee Baptiste, on July 15, 2018, when he struck her in the head after witnessing her dancing with another man.
Williams was represented by Attorney Teriq Mohammed, while State Counsel Caressa Henry and State Counsel Joy Williams appeared on behalf of the prosecution.
It has been established that on July 15, 2018, Baptiste was drinking at the Waterfront in Port Kaituma when James noticed her dancing with a man known as “Stone Face.” Having become upset, James approached the woman and gave her a cuff to her head, resulting in her falling to the ground. Thereafter, James went to the Port Kaituma Police Station and reported the incident.
When the injured Baptiste was transported to the Port Kaituma Hospital, she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her cause of death was listed as blunt trauma-related cerebral haemorrhage.
James and Baptiste had together produced children; and James acknowledged hitting the woman in a caution statement given to the Police, saying, “Officer, I did cuff she, but I don’t know where I cuff she.”
He explained that he had seen her “drinking and back-balling” on “Stone Face”, and it had infuriated him, causing him to act in the way he had done.
