After spending a quarter of a century in jail for killing his grandparents, a prisoner was released yesterday in time to reunite with his family for Christmas.
Gilbert Evelyn, 59, left with his relatives from the San Fernando High Court after he was told that he would not have to return to prison where he had been incarcerated since 1990.
Instead, Justice Carla Brown-Antoine released him on a two-year bond under the supervision of the Probation Department.
“Everything you do I will know. This is your opportunity to start over,” the judge told Evelyn.
Evelyn had pleaded guilty in June 1996 to manslaughter, by reason of diminished responsibility, for killing his grandparents Marcus, 84, and Constance Evelyn, 83.
At age 33, he lived with his grandparents, and claimed he was abused by his grandfather.
On August 5, 1990 around 5 am he poured gasoline and set fire to this grandparents home at Southern Main Road, Claxton Bay home with them in it. His grandfather’s body was found where his bed used to be while his grandmother died sometime later at the hospital.
Evelyn’s uncle, Joshua Evelyn, was seriously injured when he was chopped by Evelyn as he ran out of the house to get help from neighbours. Upon his arrest, Evelyn told the police his intention was not to kill anyone just to “run them out of the house.”
He was sentenced to the president’s pleasure, but in 2009 another judge ruled that that sentence was unconstitutional. Two years later Brown-Antoine ordered him to the court’s pleasure to serve a minimum term of imprisonment 25 years to run from June 1996 — the date of his conviction.
When the sentence came up for the second review recently, Brown-Antoine said Eveyln was ready to be reintegrated into society.
She explained to his relatives, who were in court, that he would be released on a licence with conditions.
The conditions are that he would be under the supervision of the ProbationDepartment for two years and had to report immediately to the San Fernando office upon his release.
He has to attend programmes like narcotic anonymous and any other programmes the probation officer deems fit. He would be subjected to mandatory random drug tests.
He has to reside with his aunt, Monica Brown, atWallerfield.
The judge told him that the probation officer would be providing her with a report every six months about his conduct and progress.
She warned him that a warrant would be issued for his arrest if he fails to comply with the instructions of the probation officer and breach the conditions.
“Life is hard work, life is not easy, life is not fair,” the judge told Evelyn, as she explained to him that the world has changed since he was incarcerated. She urged him to try to fit in at his aunt’s home and find a job. “The devil finds work for idle hands,” she said.
Psychiatric and psychological reports stated that he began using marijuana and cocaine at the age of 13 and at the time of the incident he smoked cocaine.
Speaking with reporters as he stepped out of the courthouse, Eveyln said he felt happy.
“For me everyday is Christmas,” he said.
Eveyln said he intends to get a job, worked hard and eventually open his own business.
Prosecutor Kimberly Gunness presented the State’s case.