Murder appeal dismissed

The Appeal Court has dismissed an appeal by David John Pierre and has affirmed his conviction and sentence to death for the murder of a Sangre Grande taxi driver. However, Chief Justice Sat Sharma, one of the three presiding judges, told Pierre’s attorneys that  the  Court would give its reasons at a later date. Pierre was sentenced to hang by Justice Melville Baird on October 15, 2002, after a 12-member jury  found him guilty of killing Sangre Grande taxi driver Gewoon Bagwasitiar on February 22, 2000. The appeal against conviction came up on Tuesday before Justice Sharma, Justice Roger Hamel-Smith and Justice Stanley John in the Port-of-Spain Court of Appeal.

The facts presented to the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court in October 2002, was that Pierre boarded a taxi driven by Bagwasitiar, 52, also known as Chanker Mootilal at Sangre Grande to go to Vega de Oropouche. On arriving at Vega de Oropouche and after two other passengers had stopped off, Pierre ordered Chanker to stop the taxi. He pulled out a knife and slit Chanker’s throat, after which he took some money from the visor of the car. He then slit Chanker’s throat a second time. After this he ordered William Rampersad, a passenger in the vehicle, to assist him in taking Chanker’s body into some bushes along the Toco Main Road, where he was left to die. Defence attorney Dana Seetahal represented Pierre in the appeal, while Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Carla Brown-Antoine represented the State.