Naderia James, 19, who was charged with the murder of 20-year-old miner Kevin Smith last month, has been granted bail in the sum of $200, 000 following a reduction of her charge to manslaughter.
Attorney Sanjeev Datadin, who represents James, announced the development on Facebook, stating that he made representations to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for the charge to be lowered, citing sound legal reasons. He confirmed that a preliminary inquiry (PI) for manslaughter will still take place in the coming weeks. “I’m making every effort to get this teenage girl back to her family as quickly as possible. Today was a good day!” he wrote.
Among factors asked to take into consideration is that James was a victim of abuse and was responding to an incident and that she went to the Police station on her own following the incident. Her next court appearance is December 08, 2025.
James had appeared virtually before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Port Kaituma Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Since the original murder charge was indictable, she was not required to enter a plea and was remanded to prison until her next court date on 14 October 2025.
The case stems from a fatal altercation on 18 September 2025. Investigations revealed that James and Smith, who had been in a relationship and living together in a wooden and plastic camp at Baramita for about a year, became involved in a violent confrontation.
Police reports indicate that James returned home around 17:00 hrs after consuming alcohol and found Smith lying in a hammock. Smith allegedly armed himself with a cutlass and struck James on her left shoulder and right hand. In response, James reportedly used a handmade knife to stab Smith once in the left side of his chest. The injured miner stumbled from the camp before collapsing in nearby bushes and was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
James later went to the Baramita Police Station and provided a statement regarding the incident. Investigations into the case are ongoing.