Nine years for killing wife

A DIEGO MARTIN man, who pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of his common-law-wife, was yesterday sentenced to nine years hard labour by Justice Anthony Carmona. David Nicholas, 42, of Crystal Stream, Diego Martin, was charged with the December 26, 2002 murder of 45-year-old Margrette Angelique Haynes.  However, when he appeared before Justice Carmona in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Criminal Court on February 18, he pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter by reason of provocation. The State, represented by Marissa Gomes and Nalini Singh, accepted the plea.

In handing down sentence, Carmona said although he had considered the mitigating factors presented by defence attorney Nathaniel King on March 3, he had to give a fitting punishment to deter others from taking human lives. King had described the couple’s relationship as a “Romeo and Juliet” type, in which Nicholas “loved the deceased to the point of madness. To your credit,” the judge told Nicholas, “you tried to save her but you should have walked away.” 

The deceased reportedly abused cocaine and prostituted herself for money to buy the illegal narcotics. Carmona said there was no denying the convicted man had been subjected to perennial domestic abuse, but added that he (Nicholas) knew the type of woman she was when he picked her up at a bar in St James. Despite her “loose morals,” Carmona said, she was entitled to the protection of the law and the court must signal its contempt for Nicholas’ behaviour. In one of the three statements given to the police after his arrest, Nicholas admitted to killing Haynes. Nicholas was charged with the murder by Sgt Ramsubhag.