Keith Harris, 52, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of his 76-year-old aunt, Audrey Harris-Hayde, bringing a tragic case that shocked the Werk-en-Rust community one step closer to closure.

Harris, who was previously awaiting retrial on a murder charge, appeared before Justice Nareshwar Harnanan at the High Court in Demerara. He entered a not guilty plea to murder but admitted guilt to the lesser charge of manslaughter. The incident, which occurred on December 2, 2022, at the victim’s Princes Street residence, left family and neighbors reeling.

According to court proceedings, Harris resided in the lower flat of the two-storey home shared with his aunt and her reputed husband. On the day of the killing, Harris-Hayde was working in her yard with a hammer when Harris approached her, armed with a knife. She attempted to defend herself with the hammer but missed, after which Harris stabbed her in the neck. He then fled, leaving his aunt bleeding on the ground. Her body was discovered by a neighbor and she was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Harris was apprehended by police shortly after the incident and reportedly confessed to the killing. The case was initially set for retrial after Harris shifted his plea multiple times in earlier court appearances.

With his guilty plea to manslaughter now entered, Harris is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7, 2025. The case has reignited conversations about family violence and the vulnerability of the elderly within their own homes.