Murder plot revealed

Fidel Nkomo Alleyne and Malissa Carla Griffith made history in the High Court when they became the first accused to plead guilty to murder under the amended Offences Against the Persons Act 2018.

This afternoon the confessed murderers took responsibility for the shooting death of 22-year-old Lamar Carter which occurred between February 9 and 10, 2015.

They will however not be facing the death penalty even though the amended legislation at section 2 of Cap. 141 stipulates that punishment for a person who commits the offence of murder may be liable on conviction on indictment to (a) suffer death or; (b) imprisonment for life.

For Alleyne, of No. 116 Denton Road, Grazettes, St Michael and Griffith, of Rochester Way, Grazettes, St Michael, their murder pleas mean they will not face the death penalty as their matter has been classified as a non capital murder.

Fidel Nkomo Alleyne and Malissa Carla Griffith (FP)

Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Anthony Blackman in accepting the pleas on behalf of the Crown in the No. 3 Supreme Court before Justice Carlisle Greaves explained that he had discussed the case with the Director of Public Prosecutions Donna Babb-Agard, QC.

“We both agreed that this is the type of murder in accordance with No. 32 of 2018 which amended the Offences Against the Persons Act Chapter 141. As it relates to punishment at Section 2 Subsection 1 we are both agreed that this matter does not attract the death sentence. I think that should settle our position in relation to punishment on that matter,” the acting Deputy DPP revealed.

He then revealed to the court what occurred before Carter, formerly of Spring Farm, St Thomas, was found dead in a car at Lancaster, St James.

Blackman told the sitting that Carter and Griffith were involved in a “troublesome” relationship. Investigations showed, that Griffith suffered physical abuse at Carter’s hand and would discuss the abuse with Alleyne with whom she eventually also had a relationship.

During one of those discussions Griffith indicated that she wanted Alleyne to do something for her.

“Based on the statements and police investigations, Griffith really wanted Alleyne to permanently take care of Carter,” Blackman said.

Investigations showed that the two planned to lure Carter to an area on the premise of conducting “certain business”. Griffith furnished Alleyne with Carter’s number and arrangements were made for the parties to meet in the area of Bagatelle, St Thomas.

Carter borrowed a friend’s car to get to the area while Alleyne met him armed with cable ties and a firearm.

They then left the area and while travelling along a road in St James, Alleyne ordered Carter to stop and get out the car at gunpoint. A confrontation followed and led to Alleyne hitting Carter with a stone. Alleyne then overpowered Carter, bound him, placed him in the trunk of the motorcar and drove off. He stopped the car again when he heard a cellular phone ringing.

“When he went to the trunk and opened it, the obvious happened. Carter bolted and Alleyne gave chase, aimed the firearm in his direction and Carter was shot. Alleyne then took Carter from the area . . . placed him inside the car and drove off.”

At one point Alleyne sought the help of a relative on what to do. “The plan was to purchase some gasoline and light the car with the body and dispose of whatever evidence there was.”

However police on duty approached Alleyne and his relative while they were checking the source of scraping sound coming from the car. They drove off after being questioned but one of the officers realized that the substance which he had seen on Alleyne’s pants appeared to be blood and the police gave chase. The two were able to evade the cops. Alleyne was later caught at the Grantley Adams International airport where he was about to purchase a ticket to New York.

Acting Deputy DPP Blackman explained that during that deadly incident Griffith was in Guyana, which was part of plan. She was detained on her return to Barbados and interviewed.

A postmortem attributed Carter’s death to a gunshot to the head, he told the court.

The prosecutor also disclosed that while police discovered physical evidence during their investigations, the gun was never found. Alleyne told police he lost the weapon during his escape.

See Page 8 for the murderers’ confession statements and more.
fernellawedderburn@barbadostoday.bb