A three-justice panel in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal last week upheld the life sentence of Jerry Martin, convicted in 2007 of the murder of Rolland Serrano.
Mr. Serrano was shot outside his Sea Cows Bay apartment on Sept. 15, 2005, and died from his injuries on Oct. 10 of that year. Mr. Martin was convicted of his murder by a unanimous jury on March 29, 2007. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison, as mandated under the 1997 Criminal Code. He later challenged the automatic sentence under the 2007 Constitution and the 2009 Parole Act.
J. S. Archibald, QC, who represents Mr. Martin, questioned whether the provision in the Criminal Code mandating a life sentence for murder violated the constitutional principle of separation of powers, by denying the judiciary the right to determine an appropriate sentence, but the Court of Appeal rejected this argument.
See the June 16, 2011 edition for full coverage.