A 27-year-old labourer has pleaded guilty to the killing of entertainer and educator Kirwyn Mars, widely known as “Sir Mars.”
Brian Richards admitted to the murder charge on Monday when he appeared before Justice Joy Persaud-Singh at the Demerara Criminal Assizes.
The prosecution is being led by State attorneys Padma Dubraj, Nelissa Peterkin, and Aliyah Heywood, while Richards is being represented by attorney-at-law Ronald Bostwick.
Following the guilty plea, the matter was postponed to June 2, 2026, when Richards is expected to be sentenced.
The case had earlier been sent to the High Court after a preliminary inquiry at the Diamond/Grove Magistrates’ Courts, where Magistrate Sunil Scarce found that there was enough evidence for Richards to stand trial.
Mars, 51, a well-known entertainer and secondary school teacher, was killed on May 7, 2023, at Plantation Providence, East Bank Demerara. His body was discovered pinned between his vehicle and a concrete fence.
A post-mortem examination later found that Mars had sustained eight stab wounds to different parts of his body, including the chest, collarbone, shoulder, elbow, and hand.
The cause of death was listed as crushing injuries to the chest, together with multiple sharp-force wounds. Police arrested Richards two days after the killing at his workplace in Georgetown.
Investigators had said surveillance footage showed Richards and Mars leaving a bar together shortly before the fatal incident.
According to the prosecution’s case, Richards confessed to stabbing Mars during a confrontation inside the vehicle after the two men left Green City Bar, where they had reportedly been drinking.
Investigators alleged that the confrontation escalated and Mars exited the vehicle. The prosecution further contends that the vehicle was later put into reverse, pinning Mars against a nearby fence.
