Woman sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for manslaughter

A woman who seemingly dangled sexual intercourse as bait to lure her lover to his death, and who had hoped to hook a $3000 pay cheque for her role, has been jailed for 12 years.

For the manslaughter of Cameron “Dot Com” Primus, 34-year-old Laretta Richardson of Longwall, was sentenced by Justice Brian Cottle at the High Court last Friday.

Previously, the prosecution, in the person of crown counsel Renée Simmons, had accepted a guilty plea from her on July 2.

The Court heard, as the facts were laid out by the judge, that on May 28, 2015, a resident of New Montrose had noticed suspicious activity, and heard gunshots, when he was driving. This person called the police, who arrived on the scene at Walker Piece, New Montrose, and found the vehicle to the left of the road, with the engine running and the lights on. Primus was sitting in the driver’s seat, with his legs out of the door. His body showed signs of injury to the head and torso, and a post mortem later revealed that he had received three gunshot wounds to the head and neck area.

The police searched the car, and they found a condom and a condom wrapper by the front passenger seat.

They spoke to Richardson that day, and she confessed that she was tasked by a man to lure Primus to that area, and that afterwards she was told to walk to the top of the steps near Grand Gate, where she would be picked up by a white car.

“She said that she had been told that the intention of the man was to scare the deceased, with whom he had a falling out,” the judge noted, and she also said that she had no idea that Primus would be murdered.

Richardson admitted to the police that she had gotten out of the car, and was walking up the steps when she heard the gunshots. She continued walking to the top of the stairs, and then started walking to Kingstown. A car picked her up, with the man who had instructed her to lure the deceased inside of it, and it took her to Kingstown. She made her way home to Long Wall from there, and sent that man a text to say that she had arrived home. She said she was promised $3,000.

The starting point for cases of manslaughter is usually 15 years, stated Justice Cottle, and he saw no reason to depart from this in the case.

What was aggravating to the court was that the offence was a very serious one, and that it had resulted in the loss of life. “This prisoner took part in a coordinated plan to lure the deceased to that particular area in New Montrose where he met his untimely end. Her motivation was for profit…,” the Justice commented.

He went on to note that she had abused her position of trust, “she had shared an intimate relationship with the deceased, and no doubt the offer of sexual relations on that morning played a part in convincing the deceased to go with her,” Cottle indicated, and stated that the presence of the condom and wrapper in the car strongly supports this view.

He noted that Richardson had said that she thought the man’s intention was to scare the deceased, but even after hearing gunshots she continued to perform as she had been instructed.

The use of at least one firearm was also aggravating.

Mitigating was that Richardson had pleaded guilty, and co-operated with the police. However, this was not enough to outweigh the aggravating ones, and the Justice decided to move upwards by five years.

Cottle then turned his attention to the personal circumstances of Richardson, who had no previous convictions.

“From the outset she has admitted her role in the death of the deceased. She has shown remorse that her actions contributed to the death of the man with whom she shared an intimate relationship,” the court acknowledged.

Richardson, who is seen as “relatively young”, has expressed the intention of bettering herself in prison, and for when she is released. Her family are waiting for her, while taking care of her three children.

From 20 years, the court reduced this to 18 for these considerations, and because of the guilty plea, which entitles her to a one third discount, her sentence was reduced to 12 years.

Richardson has already spent four years, one month and 19 days in prison, and so her remaining sentence is seven years, ten months, and eleven days.