A 31-year-old boat captain on Wednesday was sentenced to 75 years imprisonment for murdering Brazilian miner Braz Alves Dos Santos, who was killed during a 2015 robbery at his Puruni mining camp, Mazaruni.
Oneal Griffith, formerly of La Grange, West Bank Demerara, was sentenced by Justice Navindra Singh in the Essequibo High Court, after a jury found him guilty of the charge, which he allegedly murdered Dos Santos on December 30, 2015.
The State was represented by prosecutor Tiffani Lyken while Griffith was represented by attorney-in-law, Ravindra Mohabir.
After listening to the verdict, Griffith addressed the court and said: “I am an innocent man. The State brought a case against me that I know nothing about. ”
Attorney Mohabir, in his plea of mitigation before sentencing, urged the court to temper justice with mercy as his client was a first-time offender. The attorney also asked the court to consider that Griffith was married and that he was also the father of two children.
Meanwhile, Prosecutor Lyken asked the court to consider that a weapon was used in the commission of the crime and that the victim’s life was taken out by Griffith, who showed no remorse for his actions.
Justice Singh, after considering the nature of the case, sentenced Griffith to serve 75 years in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 50 years. He also ordered that the jail authorities deduct the time Griffith spent in pre-trial custody from sentence.
According to police reports, on the day in question, Dos Santos was working at a mining camp when Griffith caught him and another Brazilian national at gunpoint. It was reported that a scuffle had occurred, during which Dos Santos was shot to his neck.
After the incident, Griffith allegedly escaped with a quantity of raw gold, a boat and an engine. However, he was captured at Itabali, where the stolen ship and some of the gold were recovered. He was reported to have discharged the firearm and had been identified positively by an eyewitness.