By Ronalda Luke
A 24-year-old Castle Bruce man, Ronaldo Wiltshire has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for the murder of businessman Norman Phillip Rolle.
Initially, Wiltshire had pleaded not guilty to the charge. However, on October 10, before jury selection could begin for his trial, he changed his plea to guilty on the indictment filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The facts of the case stated that the deceased, 86-year-old Norman Phillip Rolle of Sylvania, lived alone in a rented apartment in Belfast, Mahaut. On October 27, 2021, he and his employee, Keegan Ambrose, visited his property in Lu Lut Estate, Sylvania, to retrieve a generator. They found signs of someone occupying the premises, including a broken lock, unfamiliar clothing, and a dog with puppies inside. They left without the generator.
On October 29, Rolle reported a burglary and theft of his green Lister generator to the Mahaut Police Station. That afternoon, police officers Corporal Jefferson Drigo and Constable Dwight Christmas inspected the property but didn’t find Rolle. The family later notified the police that the last call made on the deceased cell phone was through a cellular tower in Marigot. The individuals, including Corporal Drigo and Constable Christmas, proceeded to Marigot in search of Rolle.
Wiltshire was intercepted by the search party at Marigot Fisheries at about 10 p.m., driving the deceased’s CRV Vehicle. When asked by the police where Phillip Norman Rolle was, Wiltshire replied, “He is in Sylvania. He lends me a vehicle to go and do a business.” He was arrested and brought to the Marigot Police Station.
Police observed a bloody shirt in the car and detained the suspect. At about 11:10 p.m., a search party found Rolle’s body under a decaying mattress with a fresh-cut bush covering the body close to the valley on his premises.
During investigations, ASP James obtained an accused statement from the accused, on the 30th day of October 2021 who stated, “I knock out Mr. Norman Rolle. I knocked him out yesterday in Sylvania.
Well, I cut a piece of wood and we started fighting and I knocked him out. When I knock him out with the piece of wood he starts coughing. I drag him and I cover him with bush. I hit him with the cutlass at the back of his head. I hit him four times with the cutlass. I doh remember where else I hit him with the cutlass. I stole his transport and drove it to Marigot. I see a couple of bolts, a couple of padlocks old shoes, tea cups, and a black wallet with money in the transport. I spray the rims in gold, I spray the rims in golden caramel brown. I spray the muffler, and the front bumper green. The vehicle never crashes anything. The vehicle parked in front Police Station.”
Investigations also revealed that on the day of the incident, Wiltshire made his way to the Marigot Community with the stolen vehicle and he began to spend money that he stole from the deceased’s wallet by purchasing fuel for the vehicle, spray cans that he used to spray the rims and the body of the vehicle and other things.
The autopsy revealed extensive blunt force injuries, including multiple skull fractures and deep lacerations to the wrist, neck, and head. Pathologist Dr. Idelmys Alarcon Arango confirmed the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries caused by a sharp weapon, believed to be the cutlass.
At the sentencing hearing on October 24, the Probation Officer from the Department of Social Services presented her assessment to the Court which revealed that Wiltshire experienced an unstable childhood, lacked consistent parental guidance, and struggled with substance abuse, including marijuana and cocaine.
The report stated that although he entered a guilty plea, he showed no remorse for his actions nor empathy toward Rolle, suggesting a troubling lack of sensitivity.
According to the report, family reactions to Wiltshire’s sentencing varied, with some relatives advocating for a harsh sentence while his mother remained in denial about his involvement. Rolle’s family, still grieving three years after his death, hoped for the maximum penalty. Community members in Castle Bruce expressed little surprise at Wiltshire’s involvement, citing his reputation as a delinquent in the area.
Wiltshire’s defense attorney, Tiyani Behanzin, along with the Director of the Legal Aid Clinic, presented a mitigation plea, indicating an initial attempt to consider a manslaughter plea due to diminished responsibility. However, he acknowledged that the evidence overwhelmingly supported a guilty plea for murder.
Behanzin criticized the lack of psychiatric evaluation early in the legal proceedings, though he noted that the absence of remorse from Wiltshire left him without any mitigating factors to present on his behalf. He conceded that the brutality of the crime left no room for leniency, asking the Court to impose an appropriate sentence based on the severity of the offense.
Family attorney Kathy Buffong-Royer addressed the Court on behalf of Rolle’s family, describing the attack on the elderly man as brutal, unprovoked, and profoundly disturbing. She shared that Rolle’s death continues to deeply affect his family, who had hoped to celebrate his 100th birthday. Buffong-Royer described Rolle as a respected businessman and generous individual, widely known for his kindness across Dominica. She urged the Court to impose a life sentence that would serve as a deterrent for similar future crimes. However, Justice Colin Williams explained that a life sentence was not permissible under current sentencing guidelines for this case.
Sherma Dalrymple, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), outlined four sentencing options available for Wiltshire: the death penalty, a whole-life sentence, a determinate sentence, and detention at the court’s pleasure. However, Dalrymple stated that the death penalty, detention at the Court’s pleasure, and a whole life sentence were inapplicable, as the case lacked the requirements for such sentences.
Consequently, the DPP recommended a determinate sentence in line with sentencing guidelines, suggesting a starting point of 40 years with a possible range of 30 to 50 years.
Dalrymple highlighted multiple aggravating factors: the vulnerability of the victim, the unprovoked nature of the offense, and the fact that Wiltshire attacked Rolle in his own home, attempting to conceal another crime by hiding Rolle’s body after the murder.
She noted that Wiltshire admitted to cultivating cannabis near Rolle’s property and squatting on the land. Dalrymple also mentioned Wiltshire’s prior convictions, which reinforced the case for a substantial sentence. As a mitigating factor, she acknowledged that Wiltshire cooperated with the police, though his overall attitude towards the crime made his prospects for rehabilitation challenging. After accounting for Wiltshire’s guilty plea and time spent on remand, the DPP ultimately recommended a sentence of 33 years in prison.
In his ruling, Justice Williams described the crime as “heart-wrenching and troubling,” underscoring the need for a severe and appropriate punishment. However, he also emphasized that the Court must consider all circumstances in an objective and balanced manner.
Justice Williams acknowledged that sentencing may appear lenient to some, but he emphasized the need to assess the character and history of the offender.
His Lordship reviewed Wiltshire’s social background, noting a history marked by instability, including a teenage mother and a father unable to manage him and his siblings adequately. These factors, the Judge suggested, may have contributed to Wiltshire’s lack of emotional awareness and insensitivity towards the gravity of his offense.
However, in the exercise of sentencing, he noted that the court is required to adhere to the
principles of the object of sentencing established by the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the case of Desmond Baptiste and to the guidelines set out in the Compendium Sentencing Guideline of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Homicide Offences Re-Issue November 26, 2021.
“The offense is of such a serious nature that it may well exceed the scope of what is available,” he said. “The facts are revolting but the Court must operate within the structures and limitations of the sentencing guideline.”
In calculating the sentence, Justice Williams acknowledged that the use of a bladed weapon in the murder, rather than a firearm, necessitated a lower starting point by sentencing
guidelines. He further noted that Wiltshire’s actions—such as the attack’s unprovoked nature, the vulnerability of Rolle, and the concealment of Rolle’s body—warranted an increase in sentence. Consequently, the Judge established a starting point of 30 years and added five additional years due to these aggravating factors.
Although Wiltshire was eligible for a one-third discount for his guilty plea, Justice Williams granted a partial reduction instead, due to the crime’s severity. The judge applied a 10-year reduction, rather than the full one-third discount, resulting in a sentence of 25 years. After deducting the three years Wiltshire had already spent on remand, Justice Williams ultimately sentenced him to 22 years in prison for the murder of Norman Phillip Rolle.