Forty-seven-year-old Jason Kellman has admitted to unlawfully killing his reputed wife, 43-year-old Umadai Lall, also known as Samantha, during a violent domestic altercation that occurred in December 2022 at their home on the Hillfoot, Soesdyke/Linden Highway. Kellman pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter when he appeared before Justice Zamina Ally-Seepaul at the High Court in Demerara on Monday. He was initially indicted for murder but accepted a plea deal under which he admitted to committing manslaughter.

The court has since ordered a series of pre-sentencing evaluations, including a prison conduct report, a psychological evaluation of the accused and victim impact statements from Lall’s relatives. The prosecution, led by State Counsel Nelissa Peterkin and supported by Praneta Seeraj and Christopher Belfield has been instructed to outline aggravating factors, while the defence is expected to provide mitigating circumstances and character references in support of Kellman.

Represented by Attorney Edrianna Stephen from the Hughes, Fields & Stoby law firm, Kellman is scheduled to return to court on August 29 for sentencing.
According to the facts of the case, the incident occurred on the night of December 2, 2022. Kellman told police that he had returned home from work to find Lall in an intoxicated state. He confronted her about drinking alcohol in the presence of their young son, which allegedly triggered a heated argument.
Kellman claimed that in an attempt to avoid further conflict, he walked away and went into the bedroom. However, he told investigators that Lall followed him and began verbally abusing him over his remarks about her drinking habits. At that point, Kellman said he became frustrated and snapped, striking Lall multiple times about her head and face with his hands. After the beating, he went to bed and left her in the room. The next morning, he found Lall lying motionless. He rushed her to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, but she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her body bore multiple marks of violence, including visible injuries to her face, chest, hands, and other parts.
A subsequent post-mortem examination revealed that Lall died as a result of shock and haemorrhage due to multiple injuries, consistent with a severe beating.
Following the incident, Kellman was arrested and charged with the capital offence of murder. He made his first court appearance before Senior Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court, where he was remanded to prison pending further investigations.