Murder at city hotel: Husband found guilty, jailed for 43 years

Thirty-six-year-old Vinod Balgobin has been sentenced to 43 years imprisonment after he was found guilty by a 12-member jury panel on Monday for fatally stabbing his wife in a city hotel two years ago.

Balgobin, of Lot 316 La Penitence Boulevard, Georgetown, was indicted with the murder of his wife Maryann Sunita Nauth between May 11 and 12, 2013, at the Hotel.

State Counsel Teshana Lake prosecuted the matter during which she called some 18 witnesses before Justice Franklyn Holder and the jury panel. Balgobin was represented by Attorney Compton Richardson.

According to State’s witness, Corporal Hubert Henry, the Police had obtained a Caution Statement from Balgobin in which he admitted that he “jook up” the woman after he found out she was unfaithful.

In the statement, which was admitted as evidence following a voir dire (trial within a trial to determine the admissibility of evidence), Balgobin reportedly told the Police that an argument ensued between him and his estranged wife after he noticed tattoo marks on her “belly” area when she had undressed.

The man noted in the statement that during the confrontation he pulled out a blade from his haversack and stabbed up the 31-year-old woman because he got angry when he realised she had given him “blow”.

However, in his unsworn statement to the court, Balgobin denied killing the woman and stated that he was forced to sign the statement by the Police who told him that his mother was in-custody and he should sign the document to get her released.

 “I signed the paper because I love my mother. I did not kill my wife,” Balgobin told the court while adding that he met Nauth drinking with her friends and he subsequently joined them after she invited him. He noted that before he left, he gave the woman some money for herself and children.

On the contrary, the State had also called Wendy Hutson, an employee of the Hotel. Hutson testified that she had seen Balgobin and the deceased entering Room 209 at the hotel the night before the woman’s body was discovered.

According to State Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, he found 35 incised wounds about her body when he conducted the post-mortem examination.

Dr Singh said that Nauth had died as a result of shock and haemorrhage. The State Pathologist also disclosed to the court that while conducting an external examination on the body, he found incised wounds to her neck, forearm, armpit, abdomen and left wrist along with 14 incised wounds to her left side chest and another two incised wounds to the heart. Dr Singh further stated that the woman’s heart and lungs had collapsed.

On Monday morning, the trial judge had summed up all the evidences presented in the case to the panel before they retired to the jury room to deliberate.

After spending several hours in deliberation, the panel returned with a unanimous verdict, finding the man guilty of murder.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Holder told the man that he killed his wife and the mother of his children in a barbaric manner.

The judge further told the man that not only did he leave his children without a mother but with emotional scars that they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives. He also said to Balgobin that his actions were pre-mediated and he had invited the woman to her death.

The judge imposed an initial 45 years sentenced onto Balgobin but deducted two years for the time the man spent in prison.

According reports surrounding the woman’s death, Nauth and Balgobin separated after 13 years together due to the man’s abusive behaviour. The couple shared three children. However, on May 11, 2012 (Mother’s Day), at about 17:00h, Nauth left her home and went over to Demico House, Stabroek to meet her estranged husband and collect money for their children.

About 22:30h, Balgobin and Nauth went to the Hotel where they booked room 209. Around 01:15h the following morning, a cleaner was making routine checks when she saw the room’s door ajar and subsequently discovered Nauth lying dead on the bed, with a knife stuck in her chest. Balgobin was nabbed three days later in Essequibo en route to Venezuela.