A teenage boy yesterday pleaded with a High Court judge not to show mercy to the man who brutally murdered his mother, moments before 25-year-old Linden Benjamin was sentenced to life imprisonment, with parole possible only after 30 years.
The emotional request came from the son of 31-year-old Lisa Lucille George, who told Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif that Benjamin should never walk free again. “It hurts me. I want him to spend the rest of his life in jail,” he said, adding that her absence is especially painful during holidays.
Benjamin, who had pleaded guilty to murder, stood before the judge at the Demerara High Court during his sentencing.
George’s sister, Lovern, also read a victim impact statement, saying the killing continues to devastate the family. “My sister was loved. I want him to spend the rest of his life in jail,” she told the court, hoping justice would prevail.
When given a chance to address the court, Benjamin alleged that he had faced abuse from George and her relatives. But when questioned by the judge on what happened the night of the killing, he failed to explain. Prosecutor Darin Chan reminded the court that Benjamin had already admitted stabbing George 25 times and argued that his accusations did nothing to change the facts.
Prosecutor Chan described the killing as savage and unprovoked. George had gone to bed with her children, and Benjamin later joined them. Between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m., he armed himself with two knives and repeatedly stabbed her while she slept, inflicting at least 25 wounds.
The attack occurred in front of her children, in the privacy of her bedroom. After the assault, he did not seek help, and her father had to stop him from leaving the room.
Calling it a betrayal of trust, Chan noted that Benjamin and George had been in a relationship since December 2022, and he had moved into her home shortly before the murder.
A post-mortem conducted by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh found 25 stab wounds, one penetrating the chest cavity to a depth of 10 cm. George died from shock and haemorrhage.
The prosecutor said the number and nature of the wounds showed a “frenzied and merciless attack.”
Justice Chandra-Hanif said Benjamin’s conduct during the hearing was troubling, observing that his parents showed more remorse than he did. His lawyer, Beulah Williams, argued that he could be rehabilitated due to his age and asked the court to deduct time served. But the judge rejected that, saying the guilty plea appeared strategic, not remorseful.
She stressed that George had no chance of survival, and that domestic violence remains a serious issue with devastating consequences for families.
Benjamin was sentenced to life imprisonment, with parole only possible after serving 30 years. No time was deducted from the sentence.
The murder took place on 26 April 2023 at George’s Sophia home.
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