A man has been sentenced to life in prison, and will not be eligible for parole until after 28 years.
32-year-old Vildo Lorenzo Westby was found guilty of the murder of beloved San Pedrano 44-year-old Jose Felix Ayuso back in August and Justice Colin Williams sentenced him yesterday via video link.
Justice Williams told Westby that he must serve 28 years and 7 months in jail before he is eligible for parole. To get to that figure, he deducted the years Westby had served on remand for the murder.
Crown Counsel, Shanice Lovelle, presented evidence which revealed that Westby visited the victim, 44-year-old Jose Felix Ayuso's home the day of the murder in February 2017 to get money.
Ayuso reportedly refused to give him any and attempted to call the police, which led Westby stab him over fifteen times with a bicycle spoke. Westby admitted in court that he committed the crime but claimed that Ayuso had touched him inappropriately and threatened him with a screwdriver, causing him to act in self-defence.
Despite this, Justice Williams believed that Westby used excessive force and found him guilty in the trial without jury.
The cruel murder was a shock for the San Pedro community, as Ayuso was well known as an AIDS activist and as a contributor to the island's carnival activities. After the murder, Westby had absconded but was later captured in Mexico over a year later.
