Barrington Slusher, 30, one of 3 men charged with aggravated burglary and aggravated assault with firearm on an elderly couple, pleaded guilty to all charges when he appeared today in the #1 Magistrate’s Court.
The other defendants, Sherwin Locke, 20 and Dennis Ortega, 18, pleaded not guilty.
But although Slusher pleaded guilty, the charges against Locke and Ortega were not withdrawn. They were represented in court by attorney Hubert Elrington, and were denied bail, as prescribed by the law because of the offence with which they are charged.
Locke and Ortega were remanded into custody until January 19.
When the facts of the case were read to him by the prosecutor, Corporal Clinton “System” Magdaleno, Slusher was not in full agreement with them. He denied the report by the police that he told them that Locke was one of the perpetrators involved in the incident.
Former Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord was going to enter an equivocal plea of not guilty, but Elrington submitted that Slusher was only in disagreement with one small portion of the facts.
Based on Elrington’s submission, Lord accepted Slusher’s guilty plea and sentenced him to 18 months for each of the 2 counts of aggravated assault, and 7 years for aggravated burglary. Lord stipulated that the sentences for aggravated assault should run concurrently to each other, and consecutively to the sentence for aggravated burglary.
Therefore, Slusher will serve 8 ½ years.
The incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. at the residence of Camille Sutherland, 83, and his wife, Radiance, 70, located at #1 Kelly Street.
Radiance said she was in the kitchen preparing to serve food to Camille, who was sitting on the back verandah waiting, when a man, armed with what appeared to be a sawed-off shotgun, entered the kitchen and pointed the gun at her head.
“I looked at him and asked him not to kill me,” said Radiance.
Radiance said the gunman looked straight at her and said, “Dah money we want.”
At that point Radiance screamed twice and made two steps to the door of the kitchen, fearing the worst, but the gunman did not shoot.
Radiance said that when she looked by the back stairs, she saw a second man, armed with a gun like the first man, coming up the stairs.
The second gunman, said Radiance, wrestled her husband, Camille, to the floor of the verandah, held the gun about 2 inches from his nose and demanded money.
“I begged him not to kill the old man, because he is my husband,” said Radiance.
The first gunman then grabbed a gold chain from around Radiance’s neck.
Apparently, Radiance’s screams awoke her granddaughter, Latoya Price, 24, who was lying on a sofa in the living room. When Latoya saw what was happening she picked up her daughter, Gianna, 3, who was lying on the sofa beside her, and ran out of the house.
Both gunmen became worried when Latoya left with her daughter. Fearing that she would raise the alarm, the gunmen left.
Another child, Corey, 5, who was in the house, was not threatened or hurt.
Police responded promptly and arrived at the corner of Barrack Road and Victoria Street in time to see Slusher running in the direction of Hunter’s Lane.
The police pursued him and caught him shortly afterwards hiding in a yard.
According to Slusher, the police beat him unconscious and when he regained consciousness he found himself at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
Police say that Slusher alleged that Locke masterminded the crime and lured him and Ortega into doing it by telling them that $30,000 was in the house and that they were going to share the money equally.
Mrs. Lunette Ortega, 42, Dennis’ mother, told Amandala today that her son could not have done the crime because he was eating dinner at home when the elderly couple was assaulted.