By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A SUPREME Court judge yesterday sentenced a man to 35 years in prison for murder, stressing that a strong message must be sent in a society where domestic disputes too often turn violent.

Justice Dale Fitzpatrick told Franco Ferguson the courts see far too many domestic conflicts escalate into assaults and killings.

“It is a regular occurrence in this society where domestic issues are addressed with hands, fists, knives, and guns,” he said. “There does need to be a message — to you, sir, but also to the public generally — that we don’t solve domestic issues with violence.”

Ferguson appeared before Justice Fitzpatrick yesterday as the court weighed aggravating and mitigating factors before sentencing.

Prosecutors said on the night of September 11, 2020, Ferguson went to the Claridge Road apartment of his ex-girlfriend, Adriana Hamilton, where he confronted Charles Demeritte. The altercation turned violent, with Ferguson arming himself with a knife and stabbing Demeritte to death. Witnesses testified to the attack, and a jury later rejected Ferguson’s claim of self-defence, convicting him of murder.

In determining the sentence, Justice Fitzpatrick applied the Larry Jones guideline, which sets the range for murder convictions at 30 to 60 years when life imprisonment is not imposed.

The judge acknowledged Ferguson’s clean record, cooperation with police, and his apology to Demeritte’s family, but said the domestic context of the killing and the presence of Ferguson’s young daughter during the incident weighed heavily against him. He described the risk of trauma to the child as “of concern to the court.”

“In my view, the fit and appropriate sentence in these circumstances is 35 years,” Justice Fitzpatrick ruled, ordering that the term be calculated from the date of conviction.

During the hearing, Ferguson, who identified himself as a Rastafarian, objected to prison officers cutting his dreadlocks. Justice Fitzpatrick cited earlier rulings protecting inmates’ religious rights and said Ferguson’s hair would not be cut unless the matter is settled by a higher court.

The case was adjourned to Friday morning for further submissions on the Rastafarian rights issue.