A Montreal man who coldly killed a sick elderly man with a baseball bat was found guilty Monday of second-degree murder after five days of deliberations. The killer will therefore receive life imprisonment for this particularly gratuitous murder.
Akong Yves Fonbah was accused of having perpetrated the first degree murder of George Riches on September 11, 2021, in Montreal. The second-degree murder verdict means the jury likely was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the 30-year-old had premeditated his actions. He thus avoids spending at least 25 years behind bars.
It will remain up to Judge Éliane Perreault to determine the period of ineligibility for the offender’s parole. The minimum is 10 years. The sentencing arguments will take place on March 20.
The killer, Akong Yves Fonbah, alias Ocho, was the crack “dealer” of Kenny Riches, the victim’s son. On the day of the murder, a conflict broke out between the two men when Fonbah refused to sell crack to Kenny. Furious, the latter steals the killer’s TV and sells it for $40 to buy drugs.
The two men exchange angry calls all day long and invite each other to fight. In one call, Fonbah allegedly said he was going to kill Kenny and his father.
In the middle of the night, Akong Yves Fonbah comes to the Riches’ home in the LaSalle district. He is accompanied by an ex-boxer, but he stays behind. His testimony will be decisive at trial. It is also this witness who will give the police the baseball bat on which the victim’s DNA is found.
PHOTO FILED AS PROOF
It was on this sofa that George Riches was killed in September 2021.
Georges Riches, 75, was visibly killed by a single blow from a baseball bat delivered by Akong Yves Fonbah. The sick old man was then on the sofa in the living room of his apartment. Meanwhile, Kenny Riches was using crack cocaine in his bedroom. When he heard a noise, he came out of his room and chased the killer away with a knife.
Me Simon Lapierre and Me Philippe Vallières-Roland teamed up for the public prosecutor, then Me Steven Amormino, Me Carine Njonang and Me Sharon Sandiford defended the accused.