Duo change not guilty plea and confess to 2016 murder of Professor Mars

One week after pleading not guilty to the 2016 murder of 75-year-old retired professor Pairaudeau ‘Perry’ Mars, two men on Tuesday confessed to the brutal crime.

Paul Chance, 23, and Andre Benjamin, 22, appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court where their trial was being conducted before a 12-member jury.

On May 9, the duo denied murdering the former University of Guyana Professor on May 12, 2016, at his Lot 395 Bissessar Street, Prashad Nagar home, during the course of a robbery.

However, when the trial continued on Tuesday, the pair opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter when the indictment was read to them.

The Judge deferred sentencing until June 9 and ordered that a probation report is prepared for the duo; the pair also have to undergo a psychological evaluation.

The State was represented by prosecutor Abigail Gibbs while the men were represented by attorneys-at-law Ronald Daniels and Kiswana Jefford.

In 2019, their co-accused, Nikisha Dover, Orin McRae, and Naomi Adams, 18, who were initially charged with murder, opted to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.

Dover and McRae were sentenced to 12 years imprisonment while Adams was handed a 10-year sentence by Justice Navindra Singh.

On May 12, 2016, the professor was found in his home by his wife with his hands and feet duct-taped and with injuries to the head.

The house was ransacked and a number of articles and cash were missing. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a private hospital.

A post-mortem performed on Mars revealed that he died from manual strangulation compounded by multiple fractures to the head and face.