In a landmark sentencing at the San Fernando High Court, Justice Mauricia Joseph-Patrick has imposed a combined 29-year prison term on a Princes Town couple for the 2020 murder of the woman’s former abusive partner. Dwayne Baldeo and Renee Mohammed received individualized sentences following their guilty pleas under a felony murder agreement with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The case centered on the brutal killing of Christopher Hosein, a 45-year-old businessman and former fire service officer, whose charred remains were discovered on October 28, 2020, in the Ste Madeleine police district. The victim was found bound with a yellow rope around his neck, hands secured, and eyes covered with duct tape beside his burned Kia Sorento vehicle on a gravel road off M1 Tasker Road.
Police investigation rapidly identified the perpetrators through comprehensive CCTV evidence, witness testimonies, and forensic analysis linking both defendants to Hosein’s apartment. Authorities intercepted Baldeo’s white Toyota Fielder wagon later that day, recovering personal items belonging to the deceased. Post-mortem examination revealed Hosein succumbed to multiple causes including asphyxiation, soot inhalation, severe burns, and blunt force cranial trauma.
Justice Joseph-Patrick established a baseline imprisonment term of 33 years for both defendants before applying individualized adjustments. Baldeo received a three-year reduction for satisfactory conduct during incarceration and an additional ten-year deduction for his guilty plea, culminating in a final sentence of slightly over 15 years after accounting for nearly five years already served on remand. He was represented by senior counsel Rajiv Persad and attorney Ajesh Summesar.
Mohammed received comparable sentencing considerations with a three-year reduction demonstrating remorse and positive prison behavior, supplemented by an additional year acknowledging her personal history and youthful indiscretion at age 23 during the offense. With a further nine-year, eight-month deduction for her guilty plea and credit for time served, she will serve just over 14 years imprisonment. Legal representation was provided by Public Defenders’ Department attorneys Michelle Ali and Kameika Peters.
The court reviewed Mohammed’s affidavit detailing a traumatic background including childhood sexual abuse and a volatile relationship with Hosein that allegedly involved continued abuse during her recovery from previous injuries sustained in an assault by Baldeo. Mohammed acknowledged her role in planning the confrontation but maintained she never anticipated the fatal outcome, describing her five years in custody as “a nightmare” while expressing profound remorse for her actions.