Man gets life imprisonment for East Ruimveldt execution

Joshua Meredith, 29, was on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years for the 2016 execution-style killing of Paul Rodney.

Meredith was sentenced by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the High Court for the offence of manslaughter.

He was initially charged with the capital offence of murder but opted to plead guilty to the lesser offence.

He admitted that on November 21, 2016, at Avocado Square, East Ruimveldt, he unlawfully killed Rodney.

Meredith’s attorney, Adrian Thompson, said that his client did not have a nice childhood and was influenced by the Warlock, East Ruimveldt community where he grew up.

On Wednesday, a probation report was read in court which detailed that Meredith came from a single-parent home and was delinquent while growing up; he also spent time in prison.

The court heard that in 2020, Meredith was sentenced to serve 15 years for the 2016 fatal shooting of 25-year-old Gregory Garraway, in front of Wings and Things Bar on Mandela Avenue during a robbery.

At age 15, Meredith dropped out of school and made his first appearance before a court for robbery under arms. Due to his age, Meredith was placed on a two-year bond for the offence.

Persons from the community described him as a “notorious criminal” and stated that the area has become peaceful since he is behind bars.

While behind bars, prison officials said that Meredith was disrespectful and disorderly, which caused him to be placed in solitary confinement.

Justice Barlow, during her address, told Meredith that she only accepted his guilty plea due to evidence of provocation. However, she made it clear that Meredith’s actions were inexcusable.

She highlighted to Meredith that he killed Rodney one month after he had killed another man during a robbery. Justice Barlow told Meredith that he became emboldened to commit the second killing because he had not been caught for the first one.

Taking the probation report into consideration, the Judge said that Meredith after becoming an adult, continued along this path, engaging in a delinquent lifestyle.

According to reports, Rodney was at the party at Avocado Street. However, an argument ensued between Rodney and Meredith.

Rodney left the party and Meredith and a friend followed him. Meredith, who was armed with a gun, discharged several rounds in Rodney’s direction.

Rodney was seen lying motionless in a pool of blood. He was immediately taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed while receiving medical attention.