19 years jail for murder of Brazilian in shallow grave

A 40-year-old man was on Tuesday sentenced to 19 years imprisonment by High Court Judge Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, after pleading guilty to killing a Brazilian National in 2011.

Wycliff Smith known as ‘Tarzan’ was initially charged with the capital offence of murder but opted to plead guilty to manslaughter.

Smith admitted that on January 21, 2011, at Mocomoco Village Central Rupununi, Region 9, he unlawfully killed Armano DaSilva.

He was represented by Attorney-at-law Maxwell McKay while the State was represented by prosecutor Sarah Martin.

According to reports, on January 21, 2011, the men were imbibing alcohol when they became involved in a heated argument. DaSilva confronted Smith with a gun and discharged several rounds.

Smith escaped without injuries but went to a friend and borrowed a shotgun.  He then waited for DaSilva in the bush and upon seeing him discharged several rounds in the direction of his chest.

Five shotgun pellets were retrieved from DaSilva’s body.

After committing the unlawful act, Smith took the corpse a few miles away from where the incident occurred and buried it in a shallow grave before he escaped.

Attorney McKay told the court that his client was provoked by DaSilva and spent the last eight years on remand.

Justice Barlow started the sentence from 25 years but deducted six years due to Smith’s early guilty plea. The judge ordered that the prison authorities deduct the time DaSilva spent on remand from his sentence.