3 weeks ago, we told you about Rafael Mencias, the Corozal resident who was convicted of manslaughter. That's after he stood trial before a jury who heard evidence that he stabbed a man 14 times.
Well, Justice Herbert Lord heard his mitigation plea today, and after taking all factors in to consideration, he handed Mencias a Prison sentence of 10 years. But, because he had been on remand for 5 years while he awaited trial, the judge subtracted that from his sentence, and so, he will only, spend 5 more years in jail.
As we reported, Mencias stood trial where the crown counsel called 11 witnesses to testify against him. The evidence outlined for the jury that on July 26, 2010, he stabbed Phillip Moses Hall 14 times while they were inside his apartment in Carolina Village, Corozal.
In his defence, he told the court that he had just finished taking a bath when he heard his front door slam. He said that he panicked and started calling out and asking who was there. He says that the person, who he described as an intruder, turned his lights on and off 3 separate times, as if to scare him. When the lights went off the third time, according to Mencias, this man laughed. Mencias told the court that he heard the laughter getting closer and closer to him in the darkness, and thats when he grabbed a knife and stabbed the person while fearing for his life.
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