Men sentenced for murder of accountant to be freed in six months

In six months time, the two men who were charged with the murder of accountant Ronald Lewis of Murray’s Village will be free men.{{more}}

Ken Charles and Leonard O’Garro who have been in custody since 2002, on December 6, at the High Court, pleaded guilty to the charge of murder, when they appeared at the High Court during a sitting of the Criminal Assizes.

Both men, who have served 12 calendar years (16 prison years) were sentenced to an additional six months with time served taken into consideration.

Charles and O’Garro who were 22 and 34 at the time of the incident, were awaiting their trials when they changed their pleas.

On April 12, 2002, Lewis succumbed to a gunshot wound to the stomach during an incident at Mt Wynne.

In 2003, both men were sentenced to death for the murder, but the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal had ordered a retrial for O’Garro.

Charles, who was not successful at the Court of Appeal, went to the Privy Council where he too was granted a retrial.

The order that the Privy Council made was that both men be tried together and that they be tried before a new judge.

Attorney Ronald Marks represented O’Garro and Ken Charles was represented by Nicole Sylvester.(KW)