Life sentence for man who murdered Essequibo newspaper vendor

Apr 01, 2023 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kaieteur News – Thirty-one-year-old Norlando Browne was on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2020 murder of Shawn Mannilall, a Queenstown, Essequibo Coast, Region Two newspaper vendor.

Murdered: Shawn Mannilall

Browne of Bush Lot, Essequibo Coast, was tried before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Suddie High Court for the January 10, 2020 murder of Mannilall during the course of a robbery.

Forty-eight-year-old Mannilall, and other family members were about to enter their Parcel 61 Queenstown, Essequibo Coast home when two men confronted them. The intruders were reportedly wearing helmets while brandishing a handgun and a cutlass.

Jailed: Norlando Browne

According to reports, the men had demanded some $125,000 from Mannilall. When he resisted, one of the bandits shot him in the chest, shoulder and abdomen. They then fled empty-handed, while Mannilall was rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Browne, who was jointly charged with others for the crime, initially denied the indictment but opted to plead guilty to the charge during trial.

In handing down his sentence, Justice Kissoon said that the newspaper vendor was brutally murdered in his own home and in the presence of his family. The judge also took into consideration the prevalence of persons being murdered during robberies.

As such, Justice Kissoon sentenced Browne to life imprisonment and noted that he is only eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

• Justice Sandil Kissoon, Norlando Browne, Shawn Mannilall, Suddie High Court, vendor