Senior Reporter
derek.achong@guardian.co.tt
A 25-year-old Valencia man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for killing his stepfather after the victim threatened his mother and attacked his younger brother.
Nicholas “Nicko” Freeman received the sentence last week after pleading guilty to manslaughter by provocation before Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds.
Freeman had initially been charged with the murder of 35-year-old Kerneil “Movado” Charles on August 17, 2024.
Before his death, Charles had been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Freeman’s mother, Cindy, for three years.
On the night of the incident, Charles and Freeman’s mother went to a bar near her apartment on Cashew Drive, Valencia, where they met her younger son, Avinash Ragbir.
The trio spent several hours at the bar before leaving.
While walking back to the apartment, Charles repeatedly accused Freeman’s mother of being unfaithful.
He demanded that she return all the items he had purchased for her during their relationship, including two mattresses he had bought for Freeman and Ragbir.
The items were handed over and Charles left.
He returned shortly afterwards, and Ragbir asked him to leave. Charles allegedly attacked Ragbir, who sustained minor injuries.
Ragbir went inside with his mother and locked the door before calling Freeman to tell him what had happened.
Charles remained outside, banging on the door and calling for the siblings’ mother to come with him.
Freeman arrived at the apartment and confronted Charles.
“Ah tell yuh about hitting meh brother,” Freeman reportedly said before jump-kicking Charles and chasing him out of the yard.
He was followed by Ragbir, who had a knife tucked into the waistband of his pants.
Charles allegedly threw stones at the brothers as they pursued him.
Their mother called out to them to stop, and they turned around and began walking back to the apartment with her.
Charles then returned and resumed throwing stones. Freeman took the knife from Ragbir and charged towards Charles.
A brief struggle ensued, during which Charles was stabbed in the neck.
The brothers’ mother rushed to Charles’ aid while the siblings returned to the apartment, washed themselves, changed their clothes and left.
They surrendered to police the following day.
Freeman was charged with murder, while his brother was released.
Freeman was awaiting trial when he was allowed to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter by provocation under a plea agreement negotiated by his attorneys, Michelle Gonzalez and Janeil Chuck, with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
In determining the appropriate sentence, Justice Ramsumair-Hinds accepted the agreed starting point of 18 years under the plea agreement.
She reduced the sentence by three years after considering several mitigating factors, including Freeman’s financially challenging upbringing, which led him to leave school in Form Three to work.
The judge also took into account his participation in Adult Literacy Tutors Association (ALTA) classes and an anger management programme while on remand.
Justice Ramsumair-Hinds then applied a two-fifths (40 per cent) discount for his early guilty plea.
After crediting the time he had already spent on remand, Freeman was left with approximately seven more years to serve.
“I am satisfied that the final sentence to be imposed after all relevant deductions is not excessive and that there remains a need for the continued detention of the prisoner,” Justice Ramsumair-Hinds said.
As part of the sentencing exercise, the judge also considered a victim impact statement from Charles’ older brother, Kenrick.
“Mr Charles acknowledged that the deceased had issues when he drank or smoked weed which affected his behaviour. He expressed that his brother did not deserve to die in the way he did,” she said.
The case was prosecuted by Charmaine Samuel and Gilliana Guy.
