Laventille man pleads guilty to manslaughter

TWO days after a Laventille man went on trial for murder, he changed his plea. Keston Edwards of Straker Lane, was before Justice Paula Mae Weekes in the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court, charged with the murder of Kwesi “Chin” Kemkaran on February 16, 2002. Minutes into the trial yesterday, Straker withdrew his not guilty to murder plea and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. 

The plea was accepted by State attorneys Jeron Joseph and Joy Balkaran and Justice Weekes instructed the jury to return a verdict of guilty to manslaughter. Kemkaran was 19 when he was shot dead while liming with a friend at Fort Picton, Laventille. Straker was charged by Sgt Glen Hackett of the Besson Street Police Station. The former Tranquillity Secondary School student will be sentenced on October 29.