Defendant in judge-alone murder trial receives 20-year sentence; lawyer may appeal

After a week’s wait to be sentenced, convicted murderer Jeffrey
Daniel has learned that he will be spending 20 years in prison.
 
Daniel, who should have been sentenced on January 16, had the
sentence handed down on Tuesday, January 23, by High Court
Justice Tunde Bakre.
 
There are reports that his lawyer plans to appeal.
 
In 2023, Daniel made history in Antigua and Barbuda as the first
man to undergo a judge-alone trial since the legislation was passed
over two years ago.
 

On November 29, last year – exactly one month after his trial
commenced – the 29-year-old was found guilty of the 2021 murder
of 56-year-old Robinson “David” Roberts of Newfield.

A no-case submission from Daniel’s lawyer, Wendel Alexander, had
been dismissed during the hearing of the matter.
Daniel, of Cassada Gardens, was accused and charged for killing
Roberts at his Newfield home on May 21, 2021.
 
Allegedly there was an altercation between the deceased and Daniel,
who had gone to Roberts’ home in search of his ex-girlfriend, who
was Roberts’ stepdaughter.
 
Reports say that Roberts’ lifeless body, with visible injuries, was
found down the road from his residence, near his garage, and he was
pronounced dead at 9:05 a.m. that same day. 
 
Based on evidence elicited from the pathologist, Roberts had
succumbed to severe blood loss from a wound to his chest.
 
The maximum sentence for murder in Antigua and Barbuda is life;
but several factors could contribute to the convicted person
receiving a less harsh penalty.

These could include his previous good character and whether he has
previous convictions, among other factors.