Following a midday 2017 shooting at a mini-mart that left the owner dead, Alex Jobe will spend the next nine years and three months in prison.Jobe was charged with murder and possession of firearm and ammunition. Earlier this year, he entered a guilty plea to murder, on the basis of felony murder. Felony murder is categorised as a killing that occurred while the perpetrators were in the act of another violence offence, in this case a robbery.It was around midday on May 27, 2017, that two men entered Chan’s Mini Mart, Tacarigua, which was owned by Ricardo Francis. Jobe had a gun and announced a rob­be­ry. He pointed the gun at Fran­cis, who was about three feet away, and told him, “Pass everything...ah go shoot yuh.”The other man shoved patrons into a stock room. Jobe and Francis began to fight, and two men joined in to help overpower Jobe. Jobe and Francis fell to the ground du­ring the struggle. Francis struck Jobe in the face and head with the gun, but the other assailant took the gun away from Francis and shot him in the mouth.The police arrived and Francis was taken to the Arima Health Facility where he died.Jobe, known as “Redman”, “Shortman” and “Dougla”, was pointed out by two people during an identification parade and later charged by PC Mc Queen.In a victim impact statement, Francis’ wife said that life was emotionally and financially difficult for her and their two children who were 15 and nine years old at the time.She said she closed down the business because it was a terrible, constant reminder as the location where her husband was killed. She had to find other ways to source an income. The single mother said that life for them will never be the same. She said, “I wish my husband was still here.”During the sentencing exercise last week, Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds considered the prevalence of the offence and the nature and seriousness, even where there was no specific intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm.She also noted the present-­day reality of illegal firearms and the scourge of gun crime in this country. Ramsumair-­Hinds also considered that a gun was used, unsuspec­ting patrons were exposed to great danger, the underlying offence, the robbery, was for gain and that Jobe acted with others.The judge also noted the “pressing need to deter others in society from committing robberies upon hard-working citizens trying to earn an honest dollar”.In passing sentence, she started with a sentence of 28 years for the felony murder, and 15 years on each charge of possession of firearm and ammunition.Letter expressing remorseIn terms of the mitigating factors in relation to Jobe, she delved into his life, noting he dropped out of school at the age of 13 and began working at an auto garage.Although he enrolled at Servol, he did not complete the programme but later undertook short-term jobs, including landscaping, gardening, fishing and animal husbandry.The 40-year-old father of three also worked at the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP). In pri­son he enrolled in several programmes and also converted to Islam and participated in religious activities.The judge further took note of a letter Jobe wrote to Francis’ loved ones, in which he accep­ted responsibility and expressed his remorse. In it, he used the word sorry ten times and the word apologise five times.The fact that Jobe was not the one who shot Francis also had some mitigating effect. The judge however pointed out that he did not have a minor role in the incident as he was the one who announced the robbery, pointed the loaded gun at Francis and demanded that he hand over everything.A two-fifths instead of a one-third discount was however given for Jobe’s early guilty plea, and this reduced the sentence to 16 years, nine months and 18 days. The just over seven years and six months he spent in prison was also taken away, leaving a sentence of nine years and three months for the murder and one year, five months and 13 days for the possession of firearm and ammunition.The sentences, which are to run concurrently, were ordered to be served at hard labour.Jobe was represented by attorneys Carlos Waldron and Shelly-Ann Crawford while the State was represented by Charmaine Samuel and Gilliana Guy.