Life Sentence for Cuban Convicted of Murdering Mother and Her 11-Year-Old Daughter in Guyana

A Cuban national, Yoel Rodríguez Barrientos, aged 32, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Demerara High Court in Guyana. He confessed to the brutal murders of his partner and her 11-year-old daughter, whom he killed after the child witnessed her mother's murder.

According to the Guyanese news outlet Ignite News, the verdict was handed down last Thursday by Judge Nicola Pierre. Barrientos received two life sentences: one with the possibility of parole after 35 years for the murder of Tara Krishnaran, aged 34, and another with the potential for parole after 40 years for the killing of Larissa Singh, the 11-year-old girl. These sentences will run concurrently.

Details of the Crime

The tragic events unfolded on December 25, 2020, at the family's home on Princess Street, Lodge, Georgetown. Investigations revealed that a domestic argument escalated into a violent assault, during which Barrientos struck Krishnaran multiple times on the head with a hammer, resulting in fatal injuries and severe facial disfigurement.

Shortly thereafter, the young girl stumbled upon the scene and discovered her mother's body. Barrientos then attacked her with a knife, slashing her throat, and continued to hit her with the hammer until she succumbed to her injuries.

Police Investigation and Capture

The Guyana Police maintained from the outset that Barrientos, originally from Santiago de Cuba, killed the child to prevent her from testifying against him. After committing these horrific acts, Barrientos fled the scene. Authorities issued a search warrant and captured him hours later in Amelia's Ward, Linden (Region 10), thanks to intelligence gathered that same day.

During the sentencing, Judge Pierre emphasized the egregious nature of the crimes, noting that the accused "betrayed a special relationship of trust and responsibility" as Larissa lived with him, viewing him as a father figure supposed to offer protection and security. Concerning the mother, the Judge noted that "she was not murdered by a stranger on the street, but by someone within her own home."

Family's Reaction and Broader Implications

The court also ruled that the time Barrientos has spent in pre-trial detention since December 2020 would be deducted from his sentence, and he was ordered to participate in anger management programs while incarcerated.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the victims' family members expressed relief over the sentence, acknowledging, however, that no punishment could restore their loss. They remembered Krishnaran as an outgoing and ambitious woman and described Larissa as a beloved child in her community.

The case mirrors another violent crime involving a Cuban citizen in Guyana. In May 2025, Wispriey Alfonso, aged 40, killed his 21-year-old stepdaughter with a butcher's knife in Georgetown and severely injured the young woman's mother in another domestic violence incident.

Data from UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicate that Guyana has one of the highest femicide rates in the Caribbean, with two women murdered per 100,000 inhabitants by their partners or ex-partners. Moreover, approximately 85% of these crimes are committed by intimate partners or family members.

With time already served in pre-trial detention, Barrientos will remain behind bars at least until 2055, when he will be eligible for parole consideration for the sentence with the shorter minimum period.