Man who killed grandmother and injured mother gets 15 years in the Bahamas
A man who stabbed his grandmother to death and injured his mother with a knife was sentenced to 15 years in prison yesterday as part of a plea deal.
Rico Pratt, 30, was initially charged with the murder of his grandmother, Gelena Pratt, and the attempted murder of his mother, Anethra Pratt.
However, Pratt pleaded guilty to the reduced charges of manslaughter and causing dangerous harm after he assured Senior Justice Bernard Turner that he had entered the plea agreement voluntarily.
With credit for time spent on remand, Pratt has 13 years, eight months and three weeks remaining on his sentence.
The prosecutor, Eucal Bonaby, told the court that on December 4, 2020, Pratt’s mother was in the kitchen with her son.
She asked him to open a can of tuna as she prepared breakfast. Ms Pratt said that she felt a slap to the back, and when she turned around, her son punched her before he stabbed her in the neck with a knife.
Ms Pratt called out to her mother for help. When she arrived, Pratt turned on his grandmother, enabling his mother to escape and alert the neighbours.
After stabbing his grandmother multiple times in the neck, Pratt came out of the house holding the bloody knife.
His grandmother was found dead on the bathroom floor.
In his police interview, Pratt said that Jesus told him to erase and take away evil.
Pratt’s mother was present during the change of plea hearing and addressed the court.
She said yesterday was the first time she had seen her son since the attack. Ms Pratt said she last saw her mother when she called out for help.
“I didn’t know that my mother’s life was taken until I heard it on the news while I was in the hospital,” she said.
“My mother had two daughters — no sons. We both lost our mother. My sister has nothing but hates in her heart because of what has happened. She came to Nassau and never spoke to me or asked me anything. She planned the funeral as if I didn’t exist. I had to go and find out where my mother’s body was.”
On the other hand, Ms Pratt said she forgave her son and hoped he got the help he needed.
She added that her son was previously admitted to Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre for mental issues. She said he was under a lot of stress due to the loss of his job and bullying by people in the neighbourhood who threw rocks at him.
Pratt’s lawyer, Stanley Rolle, said that Pratt was remorseful. He added, “However, my lord, what has been done cannot be undone.”
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