A 51-year-old man who was convicted of murdering his ex-lover, her boyfriend, and her stepfather, is seeking to have the convictions and life sentence for the crimes overturned by the Court of Appeal. The convicted killer, Gavin Graham, was on February 29, 2020, found guilty of the murders of his ex-lover N’kosi Abrams, 39, her boyfriend Shawn Whyte and her 68-year-old stepfather Clifford Sampson.
Graham has applied to the Court of Appeal seeking leave to file an appeal against his conviction and subsequent life sentence that was imposed by Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Georgetown. Time has elapsed for the filing of an appeal in this case, and as such, Graham now has to seek leave from the court. Appeals must be filed within 14 days of there being a conviction in a case or a discharge/dismissal.
On January 3, 2015, Graham murdered Abrams, Sampson, and Whyte. According to reports, Graham became annoyed after Abrams ended their relationship, and in turn, doused her Lot 636 ‘C’ Field Sophia home in gasoline before setting it on fire. Prior to the fire, Graham locked the doors so as to ensure no one could escape. Neighbours and relatives of the trio managed to break open the door to Abrams’ apartment so that she and her spouse could be free.
As it relates to Sampson, who resided in the upper flat of the building, the elderly man who suffered a stroke was forced to jump through a window to escape from the burning building. They all suffered third-degree burns to most of their bodies and eventually died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Graham reportedly fled to Linden, his hometown, after committing the act, but was later handed over to the police by his mother.
As for Graham, he has maintained that he is innocent of the crimes. In fact, during his trial, he claimed that he was “set up.”
