Life imprisonment for duo who strangled elderly women to death

The two men who had confessed to the murders of Constance Fraser, 89, and Phylis Caesar, 77, were each sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after serving 35-years by High Court Judge Justice Sandil Kissoon.

The cousins were discovered at their South Road and Albert Street home in Georgetown by members of the South Road Full Gospel Assembly Church on October 3, 2017.

Autopsies performed by Government pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh revealed that both women died as a result of asphyxiation due to suffocation and manual strangulation, compounded by trauma to the head.

Twenty-seven-year old Imran Khan who is also known as ‘Christopher Khan’ and ‘Paul Chris’, along with Steven Andrews, 28, were charged with two counts of murder but they opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

The men confessed that between October 2-3, 2017, they murdered the women during the course of a robbery.

Attorney-at-law Keoma Griffith represented the duo while the State was represented by prosecutor Abigail Gibbs.

Prior to the sentencing, a victim impact statement was read in court by family members from each of the victims.

The daughter of Constance Fraser, Margaret Gittens told the court that her mother’s death had taken a toll on the family and even resulted in the death of her sister, who was grieving.

Gittens labelled the two accused as “cowardly murderers.” Gittens said that the medical examiner, who conducted the post mortem, told her that her mother was healthy and would have lived a long life if it was not for the two “rascals.”

Meanwhile, Caesar’s sister, Joan Caesar told the court that a “bright light” was snatched away from the family.

The two women were cousins and devoted their lives to God, Joan said.

No father figures

Defence lawyer, Keoma Griffith, in his mitigation, told the court that his clients had no father figures to guide them and they did not benefit from an education.

According to the lawyer, Khan and Andrews were jobless, were under financial pressure and turned to crime.

Griffith said that his clients were “pressured” into going to the woman’s house.

Meanwhile, Khan begged the women’s family for forgiveness while Andrews said that he is unable to sleep because he is haunted by the memories of that day.

The State’s case is that the two elderly women lived alone and that Khan and Andrews broke into the house where they bound and gagged them. The men ransacked the home for money and valuables.

During the course of the home invasion, the men strangled the women and escaped.