Man Jailed In “Pussy” Murder Trial In St. Vincent

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, April 2, 2019 (CMC) – A High Court judge has sentenced a man to 35 years in jail, after he shot and killed another, in broad day light, after being called a “pussy”.

Justice Brian Cottle imposed the sentence on 33-year-old Andy Quashie, who will also serve 14 years in jail for possession of a firearm. The sentences will run concurrently.

A 12-member jury had found Quashie guilty on February 12, of the offences that were committed on September 1, 2012.

The court heard that Quashie, along with Billy Adams and Adolphus Foyle, were in Layou, a small town, located on the west coast of the island,  when they saw 35-year-old Joseph Evans “Tuffy” Lynch.

Lynch is reported to have referred to Quashie as a “pussy”, and this remark upset Quashie and his friends, with Quashie and Adams leaving the area to get their firearms from their home.

The court heard that on their return, they saw Lynch walking along the public road and Quashie shot and wounded him. As he lay on the ground, Quashie shot him again, killing him.

Justice Cottle said the incident occurred at high noon, on the public road, in the full view of many. Quashie then left the scene and surrendered, the next day, in the company of his legal counsel.

In mitigation, Quashie’s lawyer, Grant Connell, noted that on the date of the offence, his client was 27 years old, and though he had no previous conviction of that nature, he was “not exactly a virgin to the law”.

He said the prosecution’s case was that there was an element of provocation, adding that Lynch had taunted Quashie, referring to him as “a pussy”.

“A pussy, in this sense, is somewhat derogatory,” he said, adding that while there had been some history of a bad relationship between Lynch and Quashie, the convicted murderer is adamant that that bad relationship was mended.

Justice Cottle noted that the murder was a brutal one, in which Quashie used a firearm to kill a wounded man who was lying in the street, in full glare of the public.

“He was not alone in his enterprise. There were two armed men. There was premeditation, because they went home to retrieve their guns, then went looking for the deceased,” the judge said, noting that the weapon was never retrieved and remains a danger to the public.

The judge noted that Quashie had previous convictions, including one for pointing a pistol at another resident of Layou.