Gold miner, friend to be sentenced today for 2016 murder of Sophia woman

Sep 26, 2022 News

To be sentenced, Ranachal Singh

Murdered, Simone Hackett

Kaieteur News – Gold miner, Cleavaughn Hamilton, called ‘Quarters,’ of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, and his friend, Ranachal Singh, 31, a taxi-driver of Lot 7 Good Hope, Mahaicony, ECD, are expected to be sentenced today for their involvement in the death of Hamilton’s child-mother.

It was on April 16, 2016, when Hamilton’s child mother Simone Hackett, 25 was reported missing after she left her ‘C’ Field Sophia house. On April 19, 2016, her partially decomposed body was discovered in a trench parallel to the University of Guyana (UG) road, at Fourth Field, Cummings Lodge. It was reported that her throat was slit and there was what appeared to be two stab wounds to the back of her neck.

Thirty-year-old Hamilton and Singh were arraigned before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court for murder. In this matter, the State is represented by Prosecutor, Muntaz Ali. On their first appearance, Singh denied the murder charge that was read to him but opted to plead guilty to manslaughter. Hamilton had denied the murder charge and was scheduled for trial. However, he later changed his plea and admitted to murdering his child mother.

According to the statement of the agreed facts, during the month of March in 2016, Hackett and Hamilton had a dispute over their son.
Hamilton admits that on April 16, 2016 he contacted Singh to take him to pick up Hackett. The men lured the young woman to the UG Road by having Singh calling her and pretending to be Dexter- someone she usually collects items sent by Hamilton from.

To be sentenced, Cleavaughn Hamilton

The woman left home believing that she was going to meet Dexter and she was later picked up in Singh’s car with Hamilton inside. Hamilton also admitted to stabbing Hackett several times about her body and slashing her throat with a knife. The men then stopped the car at a bushy concrete bridge and Hamilton dragged Hackett’s body out of Singh’s car and dumped her in a nearby trench, where he also disposed of the murder weapon.

After committing the crime, the two men stopped at a canal on the East Coast of Demerara, where Hamilton soaked his shirt and used it to clean the blood stains from the car. They then drove to Mahdia, Region Eight.

A few days later, Hackett’s body was discovered, along with the weapon that was used to kill her. Hackett died from an incised wound to her neck and there were 11 other incised wounds to her body. Hamilton was later arrested and gave an oral statement of the role he played. He also led the police to the spot where Hackett was picked up. Singh’s car was also discovered with blood stains on the seats and maggots below the mats in the back seat. Hamilton is expected to be sentenced for murder today – while his friend, Singh is expected to be sentenced for manslaughter.