Deceased, Carlos Leung
A Berbice man who underwent a psychiatric evaluation to determine his fitness to stand trial was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the brutal murder of a 15-year-old boy and an additional 7 years and 4 months for attempting to kill another person.
The sentencing, handed down by Justice Zamilla Ally-Seepaul at the Berbice High Court, stemmed from a horrific incident on December 21, 2022, at Timmers’ Dam in Mount Sinai. Lester Eion LaFleur, 40 at the time, murdered 15-year-old Carlos Leung just outside the teenager’s home.
LaFleur pled guilty to murder when the indictment was read to him. Justice Ally-Seepaul, before delivering the sentence, ordered a probation report and reviewed the facts of the case.
The court heard that Carlos was leaving home to have his hair styled for a school party when he was attacked on his bridge. LaFleur stabbed the teenager with a knife and, despite attempts by the boy’s mother to intervene, held him down in a water-filled trench for 20 to 25 minutes until he died. The incident, captured on video by residents, was described by the judge as brutal and deeply traumatic for the victim’s family.
In determining the sentence, the court considered several aggravating factors, including the victim’s age, the unprovoked nature of the attack, the use of a dangerous weapon, and the fact that the murder occurred in the presence of the boy’s mother and other family members. These factors led to an initial sentence of 36 years.
However, mitigating factors, such as LaFleur’s early guilty plea, his psychiatric issues, his remorse, and the time already spent in custody, resulted in a reduced sentence of 21 years for the murder charge.
In addition, LaFleur was sentenced for the attempted murder of Carl Singh, who was stabbed twice on the same day. The court heard that Singh was at a shop along Timmers’ Dam when LaFleur asked him to purchase chicken and gave him $5,000. As Singh turned to enter the shop, LaFleur stabbed him in the back. Despite being injured, Singh managed to flee but was pursued and stabbed a second time.
Singh was hospitalized for an extended period and continues to suffer from his injuries, which have left him unable to perform his previous work. Justice Ally-Seepaul noted the severity of the attack and imposed an initial sentence of 9 years for the attempted murder. After deductions for mitigating factors, the sentence was reduced to 7 years and 4 months.
The judge ruled that since the murder and attempted murder were unrelated, the sentences will run consecutively, resulting in a total of 28 years in prison for LaFleur.
