Man, 27, get 41 years for murder — his second killing

A woman whose 27-year-old son was jailed for 41 years for murder — his second sentence for killing someone — said that he had no chance of surviving the negative influence of his community as he was groomed into criminal activity from a young age.

Kimron Neverson’s mother further said in a social inquiry report quoted by Justice Rickie Burnett at his sentencing at High Court No. 2, on Friday, that she had feared for his safety when he lived in Redemption Sharpes as he had sustained two gunshot wounds in 2018.

The report said that while the mother was saddened by the outcome of the whole situation, she was relieved that Neverson is at a safe place as she feared for his safety if he is released from custody.

On June 2, 2023, a jury found Neverson guilty of murder in connection with the death of fellow Redemption Sharpes resident, Edward “Eddie” Alexis, a farmer.

Alexis died after being shot twice in the head just outside his home in the Central Kingstown community on March 15, 2020 — his 28^th birthday.

The facts, according to the judge’s summary, are that at about 8 p.m., on March 15, 2022, Alexis and his cousin and close friend Triston Charles were at the Redemption Sharpes Playing Field, playing Bingo and celebrating Alexis’ birthday.

They later decided to leave and Charles visited a relative before going home.

On leaving the playing field, Charles saw Neverson and another person he knew as “Natty”, both of whom were not his friends.

AS Charles continued walking along the public road, he felt something hit him in his back and later realised that he had been struck with a stone.

He turned around and saw only Neverson and Natty and assumed that it was one of them who had struck him with the stone.

By that time, Charles was at his relative’s yard and took up glass bottles and began throwing at the two men in retaliation.

Charles was not sure if the bottles hit Neverson or Natty but at one point he saw Neverson attempting to take something from the waist of his pants.

Charles, therefore, hid himself behind a nearby wall and on realising that Neverson had not retrieved anything from his pants, left and went to “lime” (hang out) with his cousin.

Alexis was not present during the incident, however, sometime later, Neverson and Natty went to the “block” (roadside hang-out spot) on the hill leading to Trigger Ridge.

They met Rayshawn Gibson and Jamal Bobb and Neverson complained to them about the bottle throwing incident.

Threats to ‘shoot up the block’

He said he was on his way from buying bread when Charles and Alexis threw bottles at him.

Neverson was dissatisfied and promised to “shoot up the block” but Bobb dissuaded him.

Neverson then took a yellow raincoat from under his arm, took out a firearm from the raincoat and slammed it on a nearby bench.

Shortly after this, Alexis, who lived at Trigger Ridge, was seen walking up the hill, in the direction of his home. When Neverson saw him (Alexis), he told the men who were present that he was going to kill him because Alexis “blast thing after me”.

Neverson told Natty to meet him in Hollywood, a Redemption Sharpes village close to Trigger Ridge, and Neverson would take the shortcut to meet Natty.

Neverson took a shortcut that also leads to Alexis’ house and ambushed him while he was walking in the dead-end road that leads to his home.

Gunshots rang out shortly after and Alexis was found with two wounds to his head.

A post mortem concluded that he died of multiple gunshot injuries.

After shooting, Neverson said he was ‘smoking weed pon d f**ker’

The police arrested Neverson the morning after Alexis’ death and during an electronic interview, he told investigators that he was at home in Hollywood with Natty at the time of the shooting.

However, a digital forensic analysis of Neverson’s phone showed that Neverson had a WhatsApp conversation with one “Len” at 10 p.m. on the night of the killing.

Neverson, however, told police that he was sleeping at 10 p.m. and had the conversation with Len at “foreday” morning (pre-dawn hours).

However, the analysis showed that Neverson had told Len about the bottle-throwing incident, saying that he had done what he had to do and was “smoking weed pon d f**ker”.

But in his police interview, Neverson denied that he was speaking about the shooting, saying that the conversation had nothing to do with Alexis.

The social inquiry report noted Neverson academic background, and quoted him as saying he dropped out of school aged 14 as he was not doing well academically.

Neverson said he was academically challenged and after leaving school worked in construction and sold coconuts.

One of Neverson’s former employers described him as “humble and friendly” and “well-liked”.

The employer told the social workers that Neverson’s community had a different view of him and saw him as easily influenced.

Neverson associated with persons of questionable character

After being found guilty, Neverson maintained his innocence to the social worker.

The report said that Neverson’s father did not play much of a role in his life but said he had encouraged his son to stay at his home in Diamond Estate to get away from the company he had.

Neverson was given an apartment and was provided with money and his only task was to maintain the home.

The father said he had spoken to his son numerous times — to no avail — regarding his behaviour and associates.

The social worker pointed out that the residents or Redemption Sharpes were reluctant to provide information about Neverson, but those who spoke described him as “respectful”, “quiet”, “mannerly” but associated with persons of questionable character.

The victim impact report said that Alexis’ parents were still in grief and traumatised by the loss of their youngest child.

They are despondent because he was killed at the entry of their home.

The parents said that their son cannot return from death and have left the matter to God and the justice system to provide justice.

In handing down his sentence, Justice Burnett noted that there are guidelines for sentencing a person convicted of murder.

He said that he saw no reason to depart from them in the extant case.

The judge outlined the aims of criminal punishment, namely retribution, prevention, deterrence and rehabilitation.

He established a starting sentence of 40 years in prison.

Justice Burnett said the aggravating features of the offence are the unproved nature of the killing, in that there was no evidence at the trial that Alexis was involved in the throwing of missiles

The court also noted that the killing took place in a public place.

There were no mitigating features of the offence and Justice Burnett increased the sentence by one year to 41 years imprisonment.

Aggravating of the offence was Neverson’s previous conviction for robbery and firearm possession in 2012 and manslaughter in 2015.

Mitigating was his age at the time and his health condition — his lawyer having informed the court that Neverson has a trace of sickle cell.

From the 41-year sentence, Burnett deducted the three years, four months and 17 days on remand, leaving a further 37 years, eight months and 12 days in prison.

Crown counsel Rose-Ann Richardson appeared for the Crown and Patina Knights represented Neverson.