William Benjamin’s sentencing deferred

By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE sentencing of Williams ‘Willy-Esco’ Benjamin, which was to have taken place yesterday (Dec. 17), was deferred as one of the reports requested by the court was not submitted.

Having been convicted of the murder of his sister-in-law, Michelle Weeks-Benjamin, William was taken before the High Court of Justice shortly before 9:00 yesterday morning.

His father, Pastor Leroy Benjamin, was to have spoken on his behalf but trial and sentencing judge, His Lordship Justice Francis Belle informed that he could not and preferred not to continue as the ordered psychiatric report had not yet been submitted to the court.

William’s sentencing hearing was deferred and is scheduled to take place during the beginning of the third week in January 2009.

The young man was convicted of the October 30, 2006 incident on October 24, 2008
 
During the trial, William testified how he killed his victim because he witnessed her spitting in his food. He described the spitting incident as a “disrespectful” act.

He said he went to Michelle’s room and confronted her. He said she paid him no mind but his persistence led to an argument, which resulted in him pouncing on her and pinning her body to the bed with his feet and other parts of his body.~~Adz:Right~~

William said he had one hand around her neck and the other around her mouth. He said she bit his finger and, after he managed to yank it from her mouth, he forced her head into a pillow until she stopped moving.

William further explained that he called for the assistance of Khoy Jeffers in loading the body and her mattress into a vehicle and also to locate a place at which to dump the body.

Michelle’s body was found in the septic tank of a then incomplete building at Rosemary Lane, Basseterre on Wednesday 1, November, 2006.

Both William and Khoy Jeffers were arrested and charged with Michelle’s murder, and so were her husband, Leroy Benjamin Jr. and Shervin ‘Squeaky’ George. However, before the case was tried, nolle-prosequi applications filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the case of Leroy and Jeffers were accepted by the court and both men were freed of the charge.

George’s charge was reduced to accessory to murder after the fact and he was convicted. He was sentenced earlier this month to 20 years imprisonment.

William faces the possibility of the death sentence, the maximum penalty for a murder offence.