A man who complained about tightness in his chest and was rushed to the hospital while awaiting the jury’s verdict on May 13 has been jailed for 40 years for murder.
Tevin Bobb, 31, of Ottley Hall, made an “O” with one of his hands and thrusted his other index finger in and out of it as he was being escorted to prison, handcuffed to a rapist on July 4.
He was jailed seven years after being freed of another murder charge.
In handing down his sentences, Justice Rickie Burnett noted that Bobb had chased down his victim, Mikhail Charles, 26, shooting him in Paul’s Avenue on Boxing Day 2022, hours after fist bumping him, a gesture of greeting and affirmation
In addition to the murder conviction, the 12-member jury also found Bobb guilty of using a firearm to commit murder, also in Paul’s Avenue on Dec. 26, 2022.
The facts of the case are that Charles, unemployed, of Ottley Hall, shared a common-law relationship for over five years with a Paul’s Avenue woman, who the judge identified only by her initials, AB.
On Boxing Day 2022, about 5 p.m., Charles visited AB at her home in Paul’s Avenue.
While there, Charles was greeted by Bobb, who was socialising nearby. Bobb fist bumped Charles in a seemingly friendly manner.
About 7 p.m., while Charles and AB were on route to KFC, she got a call warning them to be cautious.
Alarmed by the call, the couple decided to return to Paul’s Avenue. While they were walking near the National Lotteries Authority, Bobb began to pursue them with a gun.
AB ran into a nearby yard, while Charles ran toward SVG Tyre.
Bobb caught up with Charles and shot him multiple times, including in the head.
Bobb was later arrested and charged, and his trial concluded on May 13 with unanimous guilty verdicts.
In his sentencing submission, Bobb’s lawyer, Stephen Williams, said he was of good character and a good candidate for rehabilitation.
However, the Crown, represented by Crown Counsel Devon Bute, argued that the case warrants a whole life sentence, meaning that Bobb should spend the rest of his natural life in prison.
The Crown counsel argued that should the court disagree, it should impose a determinate sentence, with a starting point of 40 years.
A victim impact report quoted Charles’ sister as saying that his death had left an irreplaceable void in the life of their family.
She said his death had left her depressed and she posts his picture to social media when a significant occasion comes around.
Further, her 10-year-old son writes letters to Charles in heaven, which she said drives her into further depression.
The judge said there was no reason to depart from the sentencing guidelines in the case.
He said that the death penalty was not warranted as the killing did not amount to the “rarest of the rarest or the worst of the worst”.
The judge noted that the aims of criminal sentencing, namely retribution, deterrence, prevention and rehabilitation.
He established a starting point of 40 years.
Aggravating of the offence was that there was a significant degree of planning.
Justice Burnett said that the prosecution’s evidence showed the vehicle used to assist the defendant, as well as the activities of the defendant and the deceased and his girlfriend.
He said Bobb and Charles were friends, noting that Bobb fist bumped Charles hours before killing him.
The judge further noted that Bobb had chased down Charles and AB, shooting Charles multiple times.
During the shooting, Bobb had a red bandana around his head — which he was not wearing earlier — presumably to hide his identity.
The judge also noted that the crime was committed on a public road in a business and residential area on Boxing Day.
The judge took judicial notice of the activities of Boxing Day in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and further noted that there was an activity taking place and children were around.
He said Bobb’s action showed no regard for the risk he subjected other people to.
Justice Burnett further noted that Bobb and Charles had no issues, leaving questions about why he cut short his life.
The court found no aggravating feature of the offender and held that his previous good character was a mitigating feature.
The judge, however, held that the aggravating features outweigh the mitigating and increased the sentence by three years.
Bobb had been remanded for two years, 5 months and 18 days, which was deducted from the sentence, leaving 40 years, six months and 13 days.
For the firearm offence, which carried a maximum of 25 years in prison, Bobb was sentenced to 16 years, 3 months and 13 days to run concurrently to the sentence for murder.
After receiving medical attention on May 13, Bobb was brought back to court, where the jury handed down the guilty verdict.
In November 2018, Bobb was freed of a murder charge in connection with the Aug. 6, 2016, killing of Alonzo Davy at Rose Place.
The chief magistrate freed Bobb after concluding that the prosecution had not presented enough evidence to commit him to trial before a judge and jury at the High Court.
Prosecutors had alleged that Bobb shot Davy in the back multiple times sometime after an argument between the two men and others.
Let’s see how the judge will handle this issue. I believe there are incidents where the police do the same thing to unarmed persons.
The death penalty must be reintroduced in SVG or there will be no end to these ridiculous murders. No injection, just hang them.