Alvin Jones, known as “Hot Skull,” was on Tuesday sentenced to 43.5 years for the murder of Albouystown footballer Paul Daniels; the footballer was gunned down in front of his Albouystown home in 2017.
Jones, 28, formerly of Castello Housing Scheme, La Penitence, Georgetown was sentenced by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Demerara High Court.
On December 8, a 12-member jury found Jones guilty of the charge that he murdered Daniel on February 2, 2017, at Lot 252 Independence Boulevard, Albouystown, during the course of a robbery.
Daniels, 32, called “Dundee,” was attached to the Georgetown Football Club (GFC); he was gunned down moments after taking his fiancée to her Independence Boulevard home.
Based on reports received, two armed men entered the house through a door located on the northern side of the building.
Upon entering the house, they held Daniels and his fiancée at gunpoint and relieved him of a gold chain and an undisclosed sum of cash and left. Daniels, who was also a carpenter, went in pursuit of the men and during the chase, the suspects discharged several rounds, one of which hit Daniels in the region of his stomach and chest.
He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Jones was represented by attorney-at-law Stanley Moore while the State was represented by Prosecutors Shawnette Austin and Nafeeza Baig.
According to the probation report read in court on Tuesday, Jones came from a single parent household with his mother working two jobs to provide for the family.
At 15, Jones dropped out Secondary School while in Form Four.
At 18, Jones moved in with his father, started his first job but later left and went into construction.
Residents in the Castello Housing Scheme described Jones as having being kind and well-mannered and inferred that he might have been negatively influenced by peers. Prison officials also described Jones as a well-behaved inmate.
Daniels’ girlfriend Ashley Castello and his sister Patricia DeAbreu both gave victim impact statements to the court. Castello statement was read in court by prosecutor Baig, which detailed that after Daniels demise, she could not sleep for weeks and she felt like she lost everything when he died.
Meanwhile, DeAbreu said that after her brother’s untimely death, her father died, leaving the family without both of their male role models.
Before sentencing, Prosecutor Baig urged the court to consider the prevalence of felony murders and to consider that a dangerous weapon was used during the commission of the offence.
While addressing the court, Jones said: “I did not think I get a fair trial.” He went on to say that the witnesses in the case identified the shooter as a “Red Man,” among other accusations.
Justice Beharry, however, told Jones that he can appeal his case if he feels that way and sentenced him to serve the 43.5 years in prison.
43.5 years is light……..should have clearly been the death penalty.