Former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Captain Orwain Sandy has pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter in relation to the shooting of his reputed wife, Reona Payne, which occurred on March 31, 2018, at Alexander Village, Georgetown.
Sandy appeared via Zoom video conference yesterday before High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara assizes.
Though initially indicted for the murder of Payne, Sandy opted to plead guilty to the lesser count. The former GDF rank was represented by lawyer Ravindra Mohabir, while the case for the prosecution was presented by State Counsel Lisa Cave. Sentencing for Sandy has been deferred until next week, Tuesday, August 4, 2020.
According to reports, the incident occurred between 10:15 hours and 10:45 hours near a Masjid. Sources say that Sandy and Payne were in Payne’s Car when the two got into an argument during which Sandy whipped out his firearm and shot the woman 14 times, killing her instantly. At the time of the killing, Sandy was Special Assistant to the Chief-of-Staff.
Sandy then drove himself to the Ruimveldt Police Station, where he reported the matter to the police and was taken into custody. Payne was a mother of three; she worked as a Travel Agent at the Muneshwers Travel Service for a number of years. Payne and Sandy were not married but were living together for about three years.
