Man who confessed to stabbing death in 2022, sentenced to prison

A man who confessed to stabbing another man in his abdomen causing him to die 53 days later, will spend the next seven years in prison.

Curtly ‘Beenie Man’ Nanton, 24, of Belair appeared at the High Court before Justice Rickie Burnett on January 17, 2025, where he was sentenced to prison for manslaughter. Nanton pleaded guilty to the charge that on March 22, 2022, he stabbed Jevornie ‘Termite’ Gibson, 24, of Welcome who was subsequently hospitalised until he died on May 14, 2022.

A post mortem conducted by Dr Ronald Child indicated that Gibson’s death was caused by “septicaemia, due to multiple surgical complications, due to stab wound to the abdomen”.

The facts presented in court are that around 8:00 p.m on the date in question, Gibson and Nanton were socializing at James Questelles’ liquor and provision shop in Dauphine. Gibson was drinking a “Turbo drink, which Nanton purchased for him. There was a short exchange between the two of them at the bar and they made their way to the back of the shop.

While there, Nanton approached Gibson and took away the drink from him. Nanton also asked Gibson to follow him to the “back”. While Nanton and Gibson were both at the back of the shop, there was the sound as of someone being slapped.

Nanton and Gibson began to fight, and “bottles were turning over.”

Witness, Asburne Franklyn, described that a ‘rastaman’ was pulling Nanton from the back of the shop while talking to him. Franklyn grabbed Nanton’s hand, telling him to behave, while another man was backing off Gibson. Nanton pulled what Franklyn described as “a cold, steel, silver knife” from the right side of his waist.

He attempted to escape Franklyn’s grasp; Gibson was still in the back of the shop. Gibson walked past Nanton and Franklyn and exited the shop.

Nanton followed him and when Franklyn got outside, they were both seen fighting again. Franklyn grabbed Nanton and again told him to behave, but Franklyn related that “…[Nanton] had already stabbed the guy” twice.

Subsequently, Nanton went back into the shop, picked up his phone, put the knife back into his waist and left. Meanwhile, Gibson walked home bleeding. Eventually, a vehicle took him to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, though he could not recall the vehicle or the driver. Gibson was admitted to the hospital on the date of the offence, and a number of surgical procedures were done. He died 53 days later.

Nanton pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and this plea was accepted by the crown. Nanton, who did not complete his education at primary school, was deemed as functionally illiterate.

He was using drugs and alcohol at age 17, which led to the display of aggression when dealing with certain situations.

This was the view of the community in which he grew up.

Justice Burnett commenced sentencing at 18 years. He considered that Gibson was hospitalised for 53 days before he died, which was a difficult experience for both him and his family. The judge also considered that a weapon was used in the commission of the offence. Burnett found as well that there was a lack of premeditation in the commission of the offence.

The aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating, so the sentence was increased by one year. There were no aggravating factors of the offender, but mitigating for him were that he was of good character, and he assisted the authorities.

Three years were therefore deducted from his sentence. Nanton was offered a one-third discount of five years, and four months. The two years eight, months, and eight days spent on remand were also deducted from the sentence. Therefore, Nanton will serve a remaining seven years, 11 months, and 22 days in prison. He also was ordered to be enrolled in an anger management programme and educational training.

[Updated January 21, 2025 @ 5:25pm to change the headline from “gets 7 years in prison” to sentenced to prison ]