“Freedom is a must,” exclaimed 28-year-old Dwayne Tappin, as he was being escorted to begin serving a life sentence for the murder of his uncle, whose head he hacked off.
Tappin was found guilty about three weeks ago for murdering his 51-year-old uncle Randolph Seenauth which occurred on August 06, 2017 at Lot 25 South Better Hope, East Coast Demerara.
Tappin, a former member of the Guyana Defence Force, and formerly of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, was on trial before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Demerara for the capital offence.
Following deliberations by a jury, Tappin was found guilty of the crime.
This afternoon, Tappin returned to court for sentencing after a Probation report on him was presented. Justice Kissoon imposed the life sentence and also ordered that Tappin does not become eligible for parole until after serving 40 years in prison.
It was previously reported that on the day in question, Tappin chopped off his uncle’s head with a cutlass during an argument. Seenauth’s head was found in a passageway between the living room and kitchen; the rest of his body was discovered on a mattress in the bedroom.
During Tappin’s trial, a police detective had testified to taking a caution statement from him.
According to the police witness in the caution statement, Tappin said: “Sir this is what happen. Me guh at me uncle at Lot 125 South Better Hope where me mother use to live, but me mother move out and I get a key for the house…Every time I go there, he [Seenauth] always attacking me when I go there…When I go there this morning, he attack me with a cutlass after I open the door with me key…I suspect he was drunk so I tek way the cutlass from he and fire three chops…I then throw way the cutlass in the cane field at the back of Better Hope.”
Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs and Mandel Moore appeared for the State.
