Man jailed 13 years for stabbing death of Duane Gibbons
A teenager who admitted stabbing a man to death told the victim’s family that he would “bring this man back” if he could.
Ricardo Tucker Jr, 19, apologised yesterday to the family of Duane Gibbons before he was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment for killing the man last September.
He said: “I know it’s going to take some time, but I hope you find some peace.
“I lost my father and both my grandmothers, so I know you guys are going through a lot.
“If it was up to me to bring this man back, I would do my best.”
Tucker, from Sandys, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter charge on Friday.
The court heard yesterday that Mr Gibbons, 57, was near the Blue Hole petrol station in Hamilton Parish when he was spotted by a white motorcycle.
The pillion passenger, later identified as Tucker, got off the motorcycle and chased Mr Gibbons to the Swizzle Inn restaurant before he made a stabbing motion towards Mr Gibbons’s back.
Mr Gibbons was seen on CCTV cameras reaching at his back before he collapsed.
A passer-by later found him unconscious and he was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Tucker left the scene on the motorcycle, which travelled to the Ice Queen fast-food restaurant in Paget.
He discarded the knife and clothing while at the restaurant. He and the alleged rider were seen ordering food and re-enacting the chase.
The incident happened in the early hours of September 16 last year.
Police tracked down the motorcycle using CCTV footage and identified Tucker by a distinctive white stripe on his track pants at the time of the incident.
He was arrested nine days later and charged with the stabbing death.
Cindy Clarke, the Director of Public Prosecutions, told the court that the knife left a 4.5cm puncture wound in the left side of Mr Gibbons’s back.
She added that the blade sliced an artery and punctured his lung, and that Mr Gibbons died from blood loss.
Ms Clarke read four victim impact statements from the family of Mr Gibbons.
Freda Gibbons, the victim’s 84-year-old mother, said that the death of her only son had impacted her “in so many ways”.
She wrote: “He was taken away at a time in my life when I need him the most.”
She added: “When he was going out in the evening, he would always ask if I was OK, whether I needed anything done around the house.
“He did this on the night that he was murdered.”
Janine Gibbons-Alicea, Mr Gibbons’s sister, said that her mother had become anxious and traumatised from the death of her son.
She described her brother as “happy-go-lucky” and “a jokester” who left behind a daughter and granddaughter, aged 8.
Danyelle Raynor, another sister, said: “My brother didn’t deserve to die, but nobody does.”
She added: “His untimely death played heavily on my poor family at a huge emotional loss, especially myself, my mother, my niece and my great-niece.
“Not a day goes by that I do not think about him and his infectious smile.”
Freda Gibbons, 84, said that the death of her eldest son had impacted her “in so many ways”.
She wrote: “He was taken away at a time in my life when I need him the most.
“I live off my pension and relied heavily on Duane to assist with household chores, running shopping errands and general house maintenance such as painting, cutting the grass and disposing of the garbage.
“He would clean my car, and every year he would put up our Christmas tree, decorate it and then take it down after Christmas.”
She added: “When he was going out in the evening, he would always ask if I was OK, whether I needed anything done around the house.
“He did this on the night that he was murdered.”
Ms Gibbons said that her son’s death had been “extremely difficult” to process, adding that he will never be replaced.
She said: “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him.”
Danyelle Raynor, Mr Gibbons’s sister, said: “My brother didn’t deserve to die, but nobody does.
“My brother was getting back into playing golf and playing in tournaments.”
She said: “She’s becoming jumpy and nervous. We have a family whistle, and every so often we would hear the whistle in the neighbourhood.”
Ms Raynor added: “We are not angry with young men, just praying and hoping that they can come out of this situation being better young men and to want a better life for themselves.
“My heart goes out to them — especially them — praying that the Lord eases the hearts and minds of their families.
“They too are left dealing with pain from the situation.
“Too many Black men are dead or are in prison.”
Janine Gibbons-Alicea, another sister, described him as “a jokester and a happy-go-lucky person” who put a smile on everybody’s face.
She added that he left behind a daughter and a granddaughter, both of whom were “the love of his life”.
Ms Gibbons-Alicea said: “His untimely death played heavily on my poor family at a huge emotional loss, especially myself, my mother, my niece and my great-niece.
“Not a day goes by that I do not think about him and his infectious smile.
“My family and I miss him dearly and his death is a huge emotional loss.
“I truly hope that Bermuda’s youth learn to think before they act, especially when it comes to doing bodily harm to another human being and someone else’s family member.”
Ms Gibbons-Alicea added: “Think about how that will affect their own family, because once the act is complete it cannot be taken back.
“This type of permanent act takes a hold of this community as a whole and it needs to stop. There are two families who are suffering now and for ever.”
T’Kaira Hurdle, Mr Gibbons’s daughter, said there were no words to describe the pain of her father’s death for the family.
“We lost a son, father, grandfather, uncle, brother, nephew, and friend,” her statement read. “Getting a call at some odd hour in the morning about our loved one being murdered is not a nice feeling at all.
“Phone calls received that morning will forever play in our heads — that is not something anyone should have to wake up to and go through at all.”
She said that “Gibbo” was well known throughout the Warwick area and Bermuda as a whole, and could often be seen walking around.
Ms Hurdle admitted: “He was not perfect, but he was a helping hand to everyone in our community.”
She told Tucker: “Your past will follow you, but it’s up to you to want to come out as a better person.”
Tucker told the court that he was remorseful for his actions and apologised to his own family for the pain he caused.
He said: “I know it’s hard for you, and it’s hard for me, but at the end of the day I have to accept my punishment.”
Shae-Unni Smith, Tucker’s co-accused, has not entered a plea and will return before the courts at a later date.
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