A High Court judge in St. Vincent on Monday set September 21 as the date for the sentencing of a 35-year-old man Veron Primus, who was found guilty of murdering a 33-year-old real estate agent in November 2015.
A 12-member jury found Veron Primus guilty of murdering Sharleen Greaves during the trial in which one of Primus’ adult female relatives, with whom he had a consensual sexual relationship, testified that he told her he murdered the real estate agent.
The prosecution, led by Karim Nelson, told Justice Brian Cottle, who presided over the more than month-long trial, that the prosecution would make every effort to be ready for mitigation ahead of sentencing.
Defense Counsel, Michael Wyllie, said he would be traveling on Saturday for medical attention and would not be able to mitigate before his return. He said this would depend on his diagnosis.
“Hopefully, I won’t need another surgery,” he added.
Primus is also wanted in the United States, having been indicted in June 2016 in connection with the 2006 murder of 16-year-old Chanel Petro-Nixon.
In October 2019, Primus was jailed in St. Vincent for 16 months for escaping lawful custody, and in December 2020, he was sentenced to 24 months for escaping lawful custody, a second time, and three months for damaging a sheet of plywood at Her Majesty’s Prison, in Kingstown, from which he escaped.
Primus has also served prison sentences in New York for first-degree criminal contempt and third-degree burglary.
The court heard that the body of the real estate agent was found by her secretary, Ronella Bailey, in her office on November 13, 2015, less than 12 hours after a female, speaking in a hushed voice, telephoned the police general line, saying that someone had broken into her office at the building. The woman then began to scream, and the telephone line went dead as if someone had ended the call.
Detectives responded but found no sign of forced entry.
Primus, who was deported from the United States in June 2015, would not come to the attention of police until April 2016 when detectives, investigating a report by Mewanah Hadaway, then 24 years old, that he had kept her against her will in his home from January 1 to April 15, 2016.
Charges were brought against Primus in connection with that allegation, but they were withdrawn as Hadaway was not available to testify in a preliminary inquiry in 2017.
A total of 20 witnesses, 17 of whom were called by the Crown, testified in the trial, which began on June 14.
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