Man jailed for 12 years for hammering mother to death

Adrian McKenzie was on Tuesday sentenced to spend the next 12 years of his life in prison for unlawfully killing his mother.
This sentence was handed down by Justice James Bovell-Drakes at the High Court in Georgetown after the accused was declared medically fit by Government Psychiatrist, Dr Bhiro Harry.

The specialist had, however, highlighted in his report that the self-confessed killer had a history of mental challenges for which he received treatment.
McKenzie, an electrician by trade, had pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, admitting that he killed his 62-year-old mother, Ethel Andrews, on November 16, 2010 using a hammer to beat the woman to death. According to reports back then, the woman had reprimanded her son after he allegedly assaulted his grandfather at their Sand Creek, Rupununi home.
After the woman had intervened to prevent him from further carrying out the assault, McKenzie became angered and hammered his mother in the head; she died shortly afterwards.
In a probation report presented by Pamela Atwell, the court heard that the accused had hit his mother to the head with a piece of wood in 2007, causing her to be hospitalised for one month. The report also highlighted that he had a history of alcohol consumption and marijuana use.
Atwell further told the court that McKenzie had claimed to have been hearing voices and felt that someone was controlling him. He was trained as an electrician at a private institution after he did not complete his CXC examinations.
In the Guyana Prison Service report, social worker Tessa McGarrell informed the court that McKenzie is housed at the mentally challenged division of the Georgetown Prison. She noted that McKenzie’s sister, Samantha, maintains ties with the prisoner as she would call him and visit him. In fact, the court heard that the sister was the one who, over the years, ensured that he received medical treatment at the Georgetown Psychiatric Ward and elsewhere. McGarrell further told the court that McKenzie has had no infraction since being incarcerated. She did note, however, that a senior prison officer has described the accused as having a “passive personality”.
During Tuesday morning’s sentencing, McKenzie, now 39, exhibited a stony countenance for much of the proceedings; he was only audible when he told the Court that he was sorry for what happened and when he requested to be placed at a prison other than the Georgetown penitentiary.
Justice Bovell-Drakes, while highlighting he had no control over such matters, encouraged McKenzie to walk on the path which could see him being reintegrated into society.
“Take care of yourself and stay away from problems. Always remember that was your mother,” the Judge remarked, after having noted the difficulties of committing mentally-challenged persons to serve prison sentences.
The self-confessed mom killer was calmly led away into Police custody before being handed over to prison authorities. McKenzie was represented by Defence Counsel Maxwell McKay, while Mandel Moore and Orithia Schmidt represented the State.