Man sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing girlfriend

Claudio S as found guilty of killing his girlfriend, Agatha Derby, in the Brokopondo District on September 19, 2017 and will spend the next 15 years behind bars at a state penitentiary.

Judge Ingrid Lachitjaran pointed out that the man had consciously taken the life of the woman.

Claudio S claimed that he had given the victim his savings for safekeeping but that she refused to give him back his money. Instead of going to the police or taking her to court, he decided to take the law into his own hands. The judge pointed out that the most precious possession, the right to live, was taken from Derby. She also pointed out that Claudio S had a previous run in with the law but that he was not convicted.

Claudio S claimed that he and the woman got into a fight and that the woman tried to injure him with a knife. The judge rejected the self defense claim because the defendant had never mentioned it before. When the defendant took the stand in court he told his attorney, Oscar Koulen, that he acted out of self defense. After the victim’s death, Claudio went to his grandmother. The grandmother who reportedly had not seen him for a whole year deemed his behavior strange. He reportedly told his grandmother that he had strangled his girlfriend to death. The suspect had also told the police that his girlfriend died when he held her in a chokehold. When she no longer moved, he waited several hours to see if “she would gain consciousness.” When she did not show any signs of life, he locked up the camp and left.

Judge Lachitjaran made it clear that the defendant did not seek help when the woman did not show any signs of life.