Man pleads guilty to sibling manslaughter

Rommell Johnaton Bishop initially told police he was on the block when his older brother was killed in their home but later confessed to stabbing him during a fight.

These were some of the facts read by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale SC moments after Bishop appeared before Justice Randall Worrell in the No. 2 Supreme Court and pleaded not guilty to murdering Robert St Pierre on May 4, 2011, but guilty to manslaughter.

The court heard that the father of the two brothers left them at their Harlington Road, St Philip home and went to work, returning before midday. Upon entering the house, he recognised that there was blood in the area of the partition between the dining room and kitchen and found St Pierre’s body. He went to a neighbour and called the police, who arrived and conducted investigations.

The officers interviewed several persons, including Bishop, who initially denied involvement and said he had left his brother at home sleeping and went on the block. He said he only found out about St Pierre’s death after his cousin informed him.

But later that day, he confessed to the police saying: “I sorry I lie. I is who stab my brother. Robert does beat me all the time.”

In his written statement, Bishop said he was in the kitchen that morning when his brother came and asked about money.

He said: “I tell him I now get up and I don’t know nothing about no money. He then chuck me in my face and I chuck he back. My brother start searching me and my pants and I was fighting he off. He then start to beat me ‘bout. I tek a knife from the sink and went in the bedroom. He come in the bedroom behind me and then push me on the bed and start cuffing me. I was able to get way and I was able to stab he with the knife I had. I stab he but he still come behind me and when I went in the kitchen, I stab he again and then he drop just as he was running towards the cupboard. I went in the yard, wash de knife off, and bathe afterwards, make breakfast and left the kitchen leaving my brother. I pelt way the knife by the almond tree and went by the block. I know my brother was dead. I felt bad for what I had done and I am sorry that I did this.”

The post-mortem report indicated that St Pierre’s body had eight stab wounds, and death was due to haemorrhage shock from multiple stab wounds to his chest and neck.

Attorney Latisha Springer represented Bishop in association with King’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim.

The case was adjourned until next Thursday for sentencing submissions.