Almost ten years after he was given a life sentence for the murder of Barbadian Corey Poleon, Sherman Randolph Webb from Kings Hill was ordered to be released immediately.
Webb has so far served 11 years in prison.
On July 20, 2012, Webb was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to life in prison by Justice Bernie Stephenson.
Before sentencing, Justice Stephenson labeled the facts of the case as “unusual and unfortunate and bizarre.”
She described the killing of Poleon as “cold, callous, brutal, calculated and heinous” and stated that the court needed to send a strong message to society that such acts would not be tolerated.
Webb’s case was that of “self-defense” and he appealed against the sentence and conviction.
The Appeals court judges concluded that the High Court judge did not properly put to the jury the issue of self-defense.
During his trial, Webb told the court that Poleon came to visit him in August of 2009 to conduct “an occult ceremony which involved the summoning of a demon.”
He testified that during the ceremony, Poleon became frightened and a demon possessed his body. He said he chopped Poleon on the neck with a cutlass to force the demon to leave his body.
He said he later buried Poleon’s body under the wooden house where they had conducted the ritual after “banishing the spirits.”
In 2016, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) declared that the appeal against Webb’s conviction was allowed, his sentence quashed and the matter was remitted to the high court for a new trial for murder before a different judge.
On May 4, 2021, Webb appeared before Justice Wynante Adrien Roberts on a charge of manslaughter and pleaded guilty.
Since his arrest and conviction of “murder” Webb has spent over ten years in jail and many in the legal fraternity regard it as “time spent” and say that he may very well be released today. He is represented by attorney at law Kondwani Williams.
In sentencing Webb, Justice Adrien-Roberts placed 15 years as the “benchmark” however she stated that the “court finds no mitigating factors of the offense.”
“As it related to the aggravating factors, the court found that the accused hid the body of the deceased in a remote area where it could not be found and for that reason, the court adjusts the sentencing upwards by a year. As regards the mitigating and aggravating factors of the offender, he gave cooperation to and assisted the police,” The Judge said.
She explained that in assessing the discount, the court must give consideration to the time the assistance was given and the quality of the assistance given. He is also a “first-time offender” is “remorseful” having expressed remorse for his actions and indicated to the social welfare officer that he has also written to the family of the deceased in Barbados (his mother) expressing his remorse.
Prisoners also regarded him as “an advisor at the prison to them” assisting them with their paperwork and for these mitigating factors, the court adjusted his sentence downwards by one year bringing it back to 15 years. Defense counsel Kondwani Williams had indicated to the court that in sentencing the delay in the retrial must be considered and the Judge agreed with him stating it was “a must”.
“I have examined the chronology of events in this matter and do find that there was a lag in the prosecuting of this matter, it being returned to the High Court on July 5, 2016, for a retrial, the defender remained at the State Prison on a charge of murder until he was indicted on May 4, 2021, on a charge of Man-Slaughter was pleaded guilty to that charge when it was read to him,” she said. For that, he got a 3 months reduction. Because of his guilty plea, he is also entitled to a discount of one-third of his sentence ( 5 years and one month).
She stated further that he has so far spent 4,156 days at the Dominica State Prison since September 16, 2010, which is 11 years 4 months, and 18 days.
“Sherman Webb, please stand, I sentence you for the offense of Man-Slaughter of Corey Poleon contrary to the offense against the Persons Act Chapter 1031 of the Dominica Revised Laws 1990 to time served, you are hereby released from the Dominica State Prison with immediate effect to time spent,” the Judge stated.