Greater than 17 years for man who murdered girl pondering she contaminated him with HIV/AIDS | Caribbean
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – A St Vincent Excessive Court docket decide has sentenced a 26-year-old man to over 17 years in jail after he was discovered responsible of murdering a lady he believed contaminated him by the HIV/AIDS virus.
Choose Brian Cottle sentenced Desron Roberts, who had been in pretrial detention for nearly 4 years pending trial, to a further 17 years, 5 months and 11 days in jail.
On June 27 of this yr, Robert pleaded not responsible to the cost of murdering Rhodesia Rochelle Bailey between October 24 and 27, 2018.
The court docket heard that Roberts, then 22, had a sexual relationship with Bailey, 30, whose house he frequented.
On July 16, 2018, Bailey advised Roberts she was HIV-positive and two days later he went to see a physician, who suggested him to take post-exposure therapy for HIV and get examined.
Roberts started drug therapy, however didn’t absolutely adhere to the prescription as he felt a number of the drug’s unwanted side effects have been too extreme.
He had bouts of melancholy and contemplated suicide, however was afraid to inform anybody about his drawback for concern of the response he would face.
Nonetheless, he continued the sexual relationship with Bailey and in October 2018 determined to kill her, believing that she had contaminated him with HIV.
On October 25, 2018, he took a knife with him to Bailey’s. As she lay there carrying solely her underwear, Roberts advised her he had come to kill her.
Bailey advised Roberts she wasn’t afraid to die and he put the knife down and commenced strangling her. Bailey tried to succeed in for the knife however was unsuccessful and Roberts continued to attempt to strangle him.
Dissatisfied along with his makes an attempt to finish Bailey’s life this manner, Roberts took the knife and commenced stabbing Bailey, who clung to him begging for his life. Roberts stabbed her a number of instances earlier than releasing her.
Bailey fled the home however collapsed close by.
Roberts went to his home and a passing villager discovered Bailey’s physique early the following morning.
An post-mortem revealed that she died of a number of stab wounds.
After his arrest, Roberts confessed to murdering Bailey and taking them house.
In sentencing Roberts, Justice Cottle stated he didn’t have to deviate from pointers concerning the needs of prison punishment, particularly retribution, deterrence, prevention, rehabilitation, and that the court docket should observe sentencing pointers except they result in injustice in a selected case. .
Justice Cottle added that the court docket may give an grownup convicted of homicide a dying sentence, a life sentence or a hard and fast time period sentence.
He stated there was a major diploma of premeditation concerned within the killing, noting that Roberts took the knife with him to the scene and advised the sufferer he had come to kill her.
The decide stated the social investigation report indicated Roberts grew up with out parental steerage and was abused by a guardian. He dropped out of faculty at school 3.
Justice Cottle stated he discovered that Roberts lacked the coping abilities or the social assist community to assist him address the results of contracting HIV and the related social stigma.
He stated he was unlucky that within the face of crises, Roberts may solely see a resort to violence. He, nevertheless, stated he didn’t take into account Roberts prone to reoffend.
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