Shaka Phillips, called “Concrete Man”, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for the July 2025 murder of teacher Jenel Pollydore, after pleading guilty to the offence.
Phillips was sentenced today by Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif at the High Court in Demerara.
The court started with a 30-year sentence for the murder. Two years were deducted for mitigating factors, bringing the sentence to 28 years.
Phillips’ early guilty plea then attracted a one-quarter reduction of the 28-year sentence, amounting to a further seven-year deduction.
His final sentence was therefore fixed at 21 years’ imprisonment.
The time Phillips has already spent on remand is to be deducted from the 21-year sentence.
Pollydore was shot dead on July 18, 2025, during a wedding reception.
The court previously heard that Pollydore was standing near the gate in front of the hotel when Phillips approached her and questioned why she was not answering his phone.
An argument followed, during which Phillips pulled out a handgun and fired at Pollydore.
Pollydore ran into the hotel, but Phillips chased after her and fired two more rounds before fleeing the scene.
She fell to the ground and became motionless.
A post-mortem examination determined that Pollydore died from gunshot injuries to the head, with one wound to the right side of her face and another to the back of her head.
Two spent 9mm shells were also found at the scene.
Phillips, a labourer of Amelia’s Ward, Linden, was arrested on July 20, 2025, two days after the murder.
He was subsequently charged with murder and pleaded guilty to the offence on Monday.
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