GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Guyana after he pleaded guilty to murdering his 18-month-old niece over a pair of earrings in 2017.

Justice Jo-Ann Barlow described the murder of Ronasha Pilgrim on September 1, 2017 as a ‘cruel fashion of death,” before sentencing Sherwin Roberts, who acknowledged that he had killed the toddler.

His attorney, Maxwell McKay, told the court that his client had showed remorse.

In one of his statements Roberts told the police “I sorry for what I do. I did not mean to do it. It was the devil in me”.

State Prosecutor Sarah Martin had asked the judge to consider that Roberts was the toddler’s uncle, the fact that he broke into the home, as well as the nature and gravity of the charge.

The court heard that the child, along with her two brothers, aged 10 and 12 years, had been left in the house by her father, who had gone to work .

Roberts gained entry into the house by breaking a window and tried to relieve the child of her earrings.

But in trying to do so, she started to scream and the man tossed her through a window into the swamped yard. He then hurried away from the area, but not before placing a pile of wood on top of the child, who was submerged in 18 inches of water and slush.

When the child was discovered by her father shortly after, she was in a motionless state and was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. The cause of death was given as asphyxiation.

Roberts was arrested at his home shortly after the incident.

In court, a smiling Roberts caused the Justice Barlow to question him on the reason for killing his niece. The accused said that he was angry with himself and decided to take it out on his niece.

Justice Barlow imposed the life sentence, with the possibility of parole after he serves 20 years. He was also ordered to attended anger management classes along with educational classes.