Daniel Parris, 30, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday for the 2020 murder of 60-year-old Kitty building contractor Peter Gonsalves. The sentence was handed down by Justice Simone Morris at the High Court in Demerara after Parris pleaded guilty to the charge.
Parris, formerly of ‘D’ Field, Sophia, must serve a minimum of 21 years before becoming eligible for parole. The sentence, initially set at a minimum of 26 years, was reduced in consideration of Parris’ early guilty plea, his expressions of remorse, and efforts at rehabilitation while on remand.
The court heard that Parris and an accomplice had planned and executed a robbery at Gonsalves’ residence. During the course of the robbery, Gonsalves, who was unarmed but attempted to resist, was shot twice and killed. Justice Morris described the murder as “cold and calculated,†emphasizing that the act showed “no consideration for the value of his life.â€
The sentencing brings closure to a case that shocked the Kitty community and highlights the judiciary’s stance on violent crime.
