21-year-old gets life sentence for two murders and multiple felonies

A 21-YEAR-OLD man who killed a man and a woman and wounded two others in separate shooting incidents between last December and July this year, was this afternoon sentenced to life in prison with the order that he serves 23 years and six months in prison before the possibility of parole.

Deandre Grant, a construction worker of Bellefield district, Manchester, and Canaan Heights in May Pen, Clarendon, pleaded guilty earlier last month on an indictment with 13 counts under a plea deal.

The charges consist of two counts of murder, two counts of wounding with intent, six counts of making use of a firearm to commit a felony, and three counts of assault with intent to rob.

Justice Leighton Pusey, in handing down the sentence, accepted the sentence recommendations of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) but credited Grant for the six months he spent in custody.

Grant was given two life sentences for the murder of 21-year-old Soniel Muschett and Catherine Matthews.

The judge, however, ordered that he serve 20 years and six months for Matthews' murder but granted the DPP's recommended parole period of 24 years in respect to the other murder.

Justice Pusey said the sentence was reasonable given that Grant went on a rampage after the first murder.

Consequently, he was ordered to serve 23 years and six months before being considered for parole.

Grant was further sentenced to 20 years each for six counts of gun charges, 15 years each for the wounding charges and 10 years for the assault with intent to rob charges.

The judge, however, ordered that the sentences are to run concurrently, hence Grant will serve those sentences while serving the life sentence.

Justice Pusey, during the sentencing, remarked that these serious offences were more notable because of the young age of the perpetrator and further that the circumstances of the woman's murder was particularly worrying given that no motive was stated for the attack.

The judge, however, noted that among the factors considered in arriving at the sentences were Grant's guilty plea, his fairly young age, the social enquiry report and the submissions of both the DPP and Grant's lawyer, Paul Gentles.

In the first murder incident, Grant and his accomplices shot and killed 21-year-old Soniel Muschette, otherwise called 'Shine', a construction worker of Comfort district, Manchester, on December 8, 2022, about 4 p.m.

Muschette was murdered along the Kendal Bridge in the parish.

In the second murder incident, which occurred on March 3, this year, Catherine Matthews, a chef of New Green district, Manchester, and her common-law husband were walking home in their community when Grant and others pounced upon them.

The hoodlums opened gunfire on the couple, hitting them multiple times, before escaping into the area. The injured persons were transported to hospital, where Matthews was pronounced dead, and her spouse treated.

Grant struck again at a plaza in Mandeville on March 6, where two security guards were attacked by three men, one of whom was armed with a handgun. The attackers then restrained one of the two guards and demanded money. The demands were not met, and a tussle ensued. However, the perpetrators fled after a gun went off.

Grant's last victim, a minimart and bar operator, was shot and injured on July 20, at 12:45 am, after hosting an event.

Following, the series of incidents, Grant was arrested on August 2 in Westmoreland in relation to a separate incident. He was later handed over to the Manchester police and charges laid against him on October 4.

- Tanesha Mundle

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