Reduced jail terms for convicted killers in Bermuda
HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC) – Two men jailed for murder have had their lengthy sentences reduced following a recent ruling by the Privy Council in London.
The Privy Council established that Bermuda law does not allow a minimum sentence greater than 25 years for premeditated murder and 15 years for “simple” murder.
As a result of the ruling, the Court of Appeal ordered that the men be resentenced by the trial judge, Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves.
In Supreme Court on Thursday, Justice Greaves sentenced David Cox, 33, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years for gunning down Troy (Yankee) Rawlins in 2010.
Cox had originally been jailed for 38 years.
In a separate case, Antonio Myers, 28, had his 38-year sentence reduced to 15 years for the fatal shooting of Kumi Harford in his car in 2009.
Capital punishment was abolished here in 1999.
The last two men hanged for murder were Erskine (Buck) Burrows and Larry Tacklyn, whose execution in 1977 sparked week-long riots.