In a landmark ruling at the No. 5 Supreme Court, Justice Pamela Beckles has sentenced Haniyfa Reza White to 23.5 years imprisonment for the 2007 killing of her former friend and neighbor Julene Bryan. The sentence represents the remainder of a 30-year starting term after accounting for mitigating circumstances and an extraordinary 18-year delay in bringing the case to trial.
The court established that on May 14, 2007, White deliberately armed herself with a knife and went to Bryan’s residence in Six Men’s, St. Peter following an earlier altercation. Evidence presented during proceedings revealed that White initiated the confrontation by throwing a rock at Bryan’s home before fatally stabbing the victim in the neck, severing her carotid artery in front of her residence.
Justice Beckles delivered a compelling address to the convicted killer, stating: ‘The location of this injury would suggest that your intention was clearly to kill or cause serious bodily harm. Yet you see yourself and your children as the victims, even though you were there to love and care for them. The deceased’s children were deprived of this because of your actions that day.’
The judge identified several aggravating factors including the premeditated nature of the attack, the use of a lethal weapon, and the traumatic impact on Bryan’s four children who witnessed the violence outside their home. The court also considered mitigating circumstances including White’s lack of prior criminal record, favorable pre-sentencing reports indicating low recidivism risk, and substantial trial delays.
White testified that she had endured ongoing harassment from Bryan and associates following the dissolution of their friendship. She claimed the stabbing occurred during a physical struggle after Bryan allegedly attacked her with a metal object. The court ordered White to serve 8,659 days at Dodds Prison with recommendation for counseling programs addressing interpersonal relationships and societal reintegration.
Legal representatives included Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Krystal Delaney for the state and defense counsel Safiya Moore for White.