Two convicted murderers re-sentenced by Supreme Court

By Aaron Humes: Two convicted murderers face considerable further time behind bars before becoming eligible for parole after being re-sentenced by the Supreme Court this week.

46-year-old Alwin Gabb, serving life in prison for the murder of Nolan Arana, will serve a further 17 years and five months imprisonment for a total of 25 years behind bars.

Gabb was convicted in 2013 for the July 2007 murder of Arana, killed during a dispute over his partner and Gabb’s ex, who became the key witness at his murder trial.

Gabb’s slate was clean prior to the killing, but the Crown’s Sherigne Rodriguez told the court that the attack was not provoked and that Gabb had run afoul of prison rules several times since his incarceration.

After consideration, Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin handed Gabb, represented by Leslie Mendez, a fixed sentence of 25 years, but he deducted 6 years and 5 months, for the time which he spent on remand awaiting trial. The remainder of that sentence will take effect from December 2013, when Gabb was convicted.

Meanwhile, Patrick Reyes, currently 59, must live to be 99 years of age if he hopes to get in front of a parole board after serving time for a 1997 double murder.

The Teakettle resident was convicted of the double murder of husband and wife, Evelyn and Wayne Garbutt, which occurred back in April of 1997 over a land dispute. The Garbutt’s had asked for access to their property through a stripe of public land which Reyes disputed. Told they had started to build on the land, Reyes shot an employee of Wayne Garbutt, then Garbutt himself, killing him instantly; then Evelyn Garbutt, sending her to the hospital where she died.

Reyes was convicted and sentenced to hang; but in a famous Privy Council ruling, the sentence was changed to life. Now represented by Illiana Swift, he was told that his sentence would run to 40 years before the possibility of parole.

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