Prosecutor Secures Win In Historic Sentence Appeal

Nearly double the sentence, murder convict and alleged King’s Valley gang member, Lindell Powell also called Lazarus will now serve at minimum twenty years and seven months before being eligible for parole.

This after Powell told the Circuit Court how he murdered two people in 2017, namely Oral Mcintosh on January 7 and Ika Clarke on March 26. 

Mcintosh was killed execution-style during a series of robberies and his licensed firearm taken. The same firearm the court found was used to murder Clarke months later. Powell told the court he shot Clarke five times in the chest. Clarke was also chopped several times and his body burnt.

Only last December Justice Bertram Morrison sentenced the reputed gangster to 12 years in prison with parole eligibility after 10 years. A sentence the prosecution insisted was too light and assured they would appeal.

On Friday, in a historic ruling, the Appeals Court ruled in favour of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The brief session was streamed online. Arguments and submissions were made in the matter in May this year.

The new sentences, more in line with the initially proposed sentences by the Director of Public Prosecutions back in December were also outlined.

The sentences will run concurrently and take effect from the date of the initial sentence on December 2, 2021. 

The appeal was made possible following changes in the law last year allowing the prosecution to appeal sentences and acquittals.

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