18-year old pleads guilty to manslaughter

June 5, 2009, will be the date when Devon Ambris will be sentenced for causing the death of Fitzroy “Poison” Browne.

However, he will not be sentenced on a murder charge.{{more}} Instead, Ambris, an 18-year-old student, will answer to manslaughter. The lanky lad, who was initially charged with Browne’s murder, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter on Wednesday, May 20th, at the Criminal Assizes at the High Court.

Ambris’ lawyer, Ronald Marks, requested an adjournment so that a social and psychiatric report could be issued to both defence and prosecution.

Presiding Judge Frederick Bruce-Lyle granted the adjournment and ordered that both reports be furnished on or before June 3.

Information read out in court by prosecutor Joezel Jack indicated that on Monday, 7th April, 2008, at about 6:55 pm, the deceased and two of his friends were at the bus stop just outside the Peace Memorial Hall. While there, an argument ensued between the deceased and several young men. The deceased was pushed over a wall and beaten by the young men.

When the dust settled, Browne, 31, of Arnos Vale, had received several stab wounds about his body and over his left eye. The deceased was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, where Dr. Elizabeth Bibby pronounced him dead on arrival. He had received a total of 10 stab wounds.

Police later arrested Ambris, who volunteered a statement and admitted to inflicting the stab wounds on Browne’s body.

A post mortem examination performed on Wednesday, 9th April, 2008 by Consultant Surgical Pathologist Dr Ronald Child, revealed that Browne died as a result of multiple stab wounds.(KW)