He was sentenced to 37 years in prison on Thursday in the Assize Court. Jonovan Westley Lacharmante was convicted of the murder of his friend, Eric Sophie, then 41 years old. The crime was committed in April 2018 in Bois d’Oiseaux, in Flacq.
Jonovan Westley Lacharmante, 28, was sentenced to 37 years in prison for the murder of his friend Eric Sophie, 41, in Bois d’Oiseaux, Flacq, on April 24, 2018. The argument broke out after an alleged theft, resulting in a fatal stabbing attack. In his verdict, Judge Luchmyparsad Aujayeb highlighted the violence shown by the accused in attacking the victim. “The Court cannot ignore the aggravating and disturbing elements, in particular the violence of the accused and the number of blows suffered by the victim leading to his death (…),” wrote Judge Aujayeb.
He indicated that the use of a saber during this attack is viewed with concern, given the fact that Eric Sophie begged his attacker to stop. Also, according to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report, the deceased had 209 milligrams of alcohol in his blood. Which indicates that he was in a vulnerable position and could not defend himself.
Jonovan Westley Lacharmante had pleaded guilty to a charge of murder in the criminal court. He was defended by Mr. Neelkanth Dulloo. The prosecution was handled by Me Sharon Audrey Sandra Stephen, Principal State Counsel.
According to the facts, the accused did not appreciate that his friend Eric Sophie denounced him as being the one who had stolen, on April 23, 2018, the cell phone of a local resident and the bag of Louis Clario Gâteaux (the singer Blakkayo), containing Rs 800 and two cell phones.
Jonovan Westley Lacharmante had grabbed a saber and arrived at Eric Sophie’s house, beating him with several blows with his saber, leading to his death. The post-mortem examination attributed the death to “hemorrhagic shock following multiple chop wounds”. The victim was hit in the head, arms and legs. He also had several fractures.
The accused had told investigators, following his arrest, that he only wanted to inflict punishment on Eric Sophie and had no intention of killing him.
