St Michael man sentenced for 2012 killing

Stephen Orlando Archer of Deighton, St Michael was given a starting sentence of 40 years in prison for his involvement in a botched robbery that resulted in the death of Wayne Pilgrim over a decade ago.

As of now, Archer has 4,437 more days, which is slightly over 12 years, left to serve at Dodds after several deductions were made. Those included a three-year reduction for mitigating circumstances, 810 days deducted due to delays in court proceedings, a one-third discount for his guilty plea, and credit for the 4,027 days he spent on remand.

The sentence was imposed by Justice Randall Worrell during a virtual sitting at the No 2 Supreme Court on Thursday. While serving his time, Archer is to participate in educational and vocational programmes to aid in his rehabilitation and reintegration into society upon his release.

Archer was initially charged alongside others for the murder of Wayne Pilgrim, who was fatally shot at his home in Thyme Bottom, Christ Church, on July 20, 2012. A postmortem examination confirmed that Pilgrim died from a gunshot wound to the head.

During a previous court appearance, Archer pleaded guilty to non-capital murder.

The court heard that on the fateful July night, Pilgrim and his girlfriend were preparing to leave their home when he heard someone call him by his nickname at the door. When Pilgrim opened the door, a man claimed his car had run out of gas. As he turned to get his keys, a second man rushed into the house with a gun, aimed it at him and demanded weed, money and gold.

A third man appeared, aimed the gun at Pilgrim’s girlfriend and demanded money. The assailants then bound the couple’s hands with duct tape and Pilgrim’s feet with a laptop cord. The attackers also covered their heads and threatened to shoot Pilgrim’s girlfriend if he resisted.

After ransacking the house, one of the men shot Pilgrim in the head before all three fled the scene.

Archer was identified as one of the perpetrators and later arrested when police stopped his vehicle along Culloden Road, St Michael. A search of his person and vehicle led to the discovery of items belonging to the deceased, including money, a camera, and a cellular phone.

In his statement to the police, Archer claimed the initial plan was only to rob Pilgrim and denied being the one who pulled the trigger.