Viola Pook Sentenced to 8 Years for Manslaughter of Common-Law Husband

Viola Pook

Viola Pook, the woman who doused her common-law husband Orlando Vasquez with kerosene on New Year’s Eve of 2008, and set him on fire was sentenced today by Judge Adolph Lucas. The judge imposed eight years in prison on her less time she has already served. Pook has been diagnosed with Battered Women Syndrome after twenty years in an abusive relationship. On July 2011, she was first convicted of murder at the Supreme Court. She appealed the case and was successful as the Court of Appeal squashed her conviction and sentence and ordered a retrial. On April second, 2014 she was arraigned for manslaughter and on October thirteenth, 2015, she pleaded guilty to that lesser charge. Before sentencing, Judge Lucas said he had heard Pook’s remorse and how sympathetic she was with the Vasquez family. He was also aware that Pook had suffered years of abuse commenting that a woman who kills and is suffering from abnormality of the mind should not be found guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter. While she was sentenced to eight years, the court will now have to decide how much time she will be imprisoned.  The uncertain period is between 2011 and 2014, when she was appealing her case. Pook’s attorney, Liliana Swift told the court that it ought to take into consideration the entire six years and nine months that Pook has been behind bars since her arrest.