BIG Smith News Watch Reports | Uhalisi “Akali” Moore, a 39-year-old resident of Silvertown, Wismar, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murders of his sister, Cheryl Moore, 53, and his niece, Eukeila Adams, 12. The sentences are set to run concurrently.
Moore appeared before Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Demerara, where he admitted to the horrific act of setting fire to his family home on August 14, 2023.
Prosecutors Christopher Belfield, Simran Gajraj, and Geneva Wills presented evidence outlining the events of that fateful night. According to the case file, Uhalisi’s brother, Phillip Moore, smelled kerosene and heard suspicious noises before encountering Uhalisi armed with a cutlass inside the two-storey wooden house. Sensing danger, Phillip escaped just before the house erupted in flames.
Other family members managed to escape by jumping from the verandah; however, Cheryl and Eukeila were trapped inside. Firefighters extinguished the blaze after midnight, but the home was already destroyed. Cheryl’s remains were recovered around 1:00 a.m., while Eukeila’s body was found hours later amidst the debris.
Investigators determined that Uhalisi had deliberately soaked furniture with a flammable substance prior to igniting the fire. In a video-recorded confession at the Wismar Police Station, Moore claimed that he had been hungry for days and felt neglected by his relatives, stating that he heard a “voice” urging him to commit the act.
A post-mortem examination, conducted by Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh, confirmed that both victims died from burns, with soot found in their airways indicating they were alive when the fire started.
Uhalisi Moore will now serve his 24-year sentence following the court’s ruling, with both counts of murder running concurrently. The case highlights the tragic circumstances surrounding domestic violence and the devastating consequences it can have on families.
