The police officer who killed a Cunupia teenager at the Carnival Red Fete party two years ago will pay the ultimate penalty for his actions. He was sentenced to death yesterday after a jury found him guilty of murder.
By Imran AliPC Dave Burnett became the first officer in this country's history to be convicted of murder for killing someone while on duty. Moments after the sentencing, however, the dead man's mother said she would not like the officer to be hanged.
"I felt sad upon hearing the verdict. Is another life... somebody else son going to be lost again," Marilyn Cato told reporters at the Port of Spain Hall of Justice.
She said that while she felt that the jury's guilty verdict was the answer to her prayers for justice, she "wouldn't like it" to have the death penalty carried out on 32-year-old Burnett.
"But I don't have the law in my hand," she added.
Burnett, of Belmont, showed no visible reaction except to stare at the jurors upon hearing the verdict. He remained silent when asked if he had anything to say before the death sentence was passed.
His relatives and friends, however, were heard screaming and bawling after the verdict. Other police officers who had trained together with Burnett were also reduced to tears.
PC Burnett shot 18-year-old Kevin Cato, and one of his friends, Ryan Solomon, at the "Outrageous In Red" fete held on January 24, 2004, at the Pier 1 entertainment centre, Chaguaramas.
Cato and Solomon had gone to the party to celebrate the birthday of one of their friends. A number of other friends had accompanied them.
Solomon and other witnesses testified that they were jumping around to the music of soca star Maximus Dan when Solomon bumped into PC Burnett, who was on duty in plainclothes.
PC Burnett slapped Solomon, and when Solomon slapped him back the officer pulled out his service revolver and shot Solomon and Cato in their chests. The witnesses claimed that after the shootings, Burnett bragged that he was a police officer and challenged them to "do something". Cato's wound proved fatal as the bullet pierced both his lungs and punctured a major blood vessel near his heart.
The jury, after deliberating for two hours, rejected Burnett's claim that he had been attacked. Burnett claimed that he pushed Solomon away when he bumped into him, and Solomon slapped him. After he slapped Solomon back, Solomon and his friends attacked him.
The officer, who has 13 years' service, had claimed he shot Solomon and Cato when he saw them with knives.
Solomon and the other State witnesses who saw the incident insisted that there was never any fight nor were any knives ever involved. Burnett produced a knife, claiming that he had taken it from Cato, but the jury, by its verdict, threw out that evidence as a fabrication.
Burnett was represented by Pamela Elder SC, Mario Merritt and Kathy-Ann Mottley. State attorneys George Busby and Shoba Jamunar prosecuted.
In 2004, PC Mihiset Greene was convicted of manslaughter for shooting a Matelot man dead when he tried to run away. Greene was sentenced to ten years in jail.
