The mother of a George Town man who was stabbed to death in a nightclub parking lot, called on her son’s killer to take responsibility for his actions.
Speaking during a preliminary sentencing hearing on Monday, 6 Dec., the mother of Recordo Lionel Pars told Justice Roger Chapple the death of her son has caused hardship for her family.
“A life was lost, but that’s not the end of it,” said Pars’ mother. “I now have a 5-year-old who I must raise, and he continues to ask for his father. He continues to ask why his father hasn’t called him in over a year.”
Pars, 27, was stabbed to death on Saturday, 29 Aug. 2020, by Courtney Mason Bryan in The Strand parking lot off West Bay Road. Bryan pleaded guilty to the crime but said his actions were in self-defence.
A portion of the fight, which was captured on cellphone footage and then circulated on social media, shows Pars and another man fighting with Bryan. In the video, Bryan, who was armed with a knife, could be seen repeatedly stabbing Pars.
“What the video does not show is the incidents prior to when Mr. Bryan was on the ground being kicked and punched by four men,” said defence attorney Ben Tonner, QC. “Mr. Bryan asserts that he did not take the knife to the venue, and he saw the knife while he was on the ground being assaulted.”
Tonner added, “Mr. Bryan said he felt as if he was going to black out from the licks, and so he used the knife to get the men off him and to defend himself.”
Bryan, who was not physically present in the courtroom, joined the proceedings via Zoom, and was able to hear Pars’ mother’s pleas for justice.
During her address to the court, Pars’ mother added, “I know that both families are suffering, but the defendant must take responsibility for his actions and I hope this court will serve justice.”
Chapple said he hoped to return a sentence in the coming weeks.
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