He pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter for the February 6, 2013 murder of his stepson, who was knifed to death at his Buck Foot Hill, Wismar, Linden home.
The judge started at the base of 45 years at the sentencing after which he deducted a total of 15 years for the early plea, remorse and for the positive signs of rehabilitation. Samuels, who was moved to tears after the judge told the court he was sentenced to life imprisonment, will be eligible for parole in 2047.
He was led away to jail in tears and could be heard wailing loudly for some time afterwards. Justice Harnanan told the court that Samuels’ early plea and his admittance to the lesser count of manslaughter were considered during sentencing, but based on the facts of the case, the deceased Jamal Nedd was only four-years-old and body bore two gaping incised wounds. The judge also said that a knife was left embedded in the child’s body and noted that the incident was savage since the child offered no challenge or provocation.
Justice Harnanan told the court that from the probation report, the accused was noted for his penchant for violence towards women but was said to be a hardworking individual who would have been ideal for reform. The judge added that the accused showed genuine remorse but he resorted to violence when dealing with intimate relationships and as such there is no consideration for his release.
According to state prosecutor, Siand Dhurjon, on the day in question, the accused had a problem with his common law wife, Neisha Naranjan who, is the mother of the four-year-old child.
Naranjan ended the relationship with Samuels after an argument during which he had a dispute with her 17-year-old sister, who managed to ran away but Nedd was nearby and encouraged his aunt to ‘run away’.
At the time, Samuels was chasing the woman and when he heard what the four-year-old said, he became enraged and stabbed the child five times to the body. The knife was reportedly stuck in the child’s back and was removed by the pathologist, who performed the post mortem. The accused and Naranjan shared an intimate relationship and on the day in question the child returned home from school and reportedly witnessed Samuels raping his aunt.
Samuels reportedly confessed to the crime via a caution statement and the state is also in receipt of an eyewitness report. The state was represented by Prosecutors Siand Dhurjon, Shawnette Austin and Lisa Cave while, the defence attorney is Maxwell McKay.
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