Jail for men who killed DPP's sister in 2008

TWO men on Friday pleaded guilty to killing the sister of Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard at her Vistabella home in 2008.

On Friday, Anthony Sankar and Marcus Gresham, of Lambie Street, Vistabella, pleaded guilty to killing Joanne Gaspard on November 13, 2008. They appeared before San Fernando High Court judge, Justice Devan Rampersad.

The two agreed to plead guilty to felony murder after the State rejected their proposal to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

Sankar was sentenced to one year and 30 days and Gresham received a one-year, nine-month prison term.

Rampersad began with a starting point of 24 years and applied the relevant discounts for their guilty plea, mitigating factors and the time each has spent in prison awaiting trial.

Sankar was represented by attorney Chase Pegus. John Heath represented Gresham.

Gaspard was at home when, around 11 pm, she rushed into her then 11-year-old son's room to wake him up because someone was breaking into the house.

Her son saw the ceiling of his bedroom break open and Gaspard ran to the window, crying for help.

The boy then saw a man dangling from the ceiling, but could not see his face.

He also did not see his mother so he ran out of the room and hid under a chair in the living room.

The State, represented by Josanne Forrester, said the boy could hear what sounded like a man walking around the house.

Earlier that day, Sankar and Gresham were seen together by the Ponderosa Bar on Lambie Street, which could be seen from Happy Hill, where Gaspard lived with her two young children.

A neighbour, Kojo Clarke, was at home at Lambie Street, sitting in his gallery, when, at around 11 pm, he heard a commotion coming from Gaspard's home, which was 200 feet away.

He saw her burst through her bedroom door at the back of her house, screaming for help.

He saw her put her foot over the bannister and fall to the concrete ground below.

Clarke shouted to his family and several neighbours were called to help, including Gaspard's stepfather, Reuben Alexander, who lived next door.

Gaspard was found lying on her stomach on the ground at the back of the house. She was pronounced dead at hospital. A post mortem said her death was due to multiple internal injuries and haemorrhage because of blunt trauma consistent with a fall.

Sankar was arrested the next day and admitted to acting as a lookout while Gresham robbed Gaspard's house.

He told police his accomplice had a knife and was wearing a white cap. He also said he stood watch for ten minutes when he heard a woman bawl out. He ran and later met up with Gresham.

Sankar took the police to the scene.

They saw holes in the gypsum ceiling of Gaspard's home, and found a white baseball cap between the ceiling and the roof where the ceiling was damaged.

A red-handled, silver-bladed knife was found in the front of the toilet area next to one of the bedrooms.

Gresham agreed to give a DNA sample and the cap was sent for analysis. The DNA profile of the major contributor found on the white cap matched his DNA.

He was arrested on November 17 at home. When questioned, he denied knowing about the murder, saying he went to a casino in Princes Town with some friends that night.

The case was one of the first local matters to use DNA evidence as part of the prosecution's case. DNA experts Craig Davies and Emma Jayne Westacott, both of LGC Forensics, Birchwood Park, Warrington, England, testified during the preliminary inquiry before then-deputy chief magistrate Mark Wellington in the San Fernando Magistrates Court.

Also appearing for Sankar was attorney Aaron Mahabir.