Murder of Sarah Lawson

Shai Lawson (May 7, 2003 - June 17, 2014) was an 11-year-old Guianese abused child of Amerasian descent from Paramaribo, Surinam. Her death was notorious for not being fully solved until May 2019. The trial did not happen until the 5-year anniversary of the murder, on June 17th 2019, whereas she was sentenced to 30 life sentences and 25 years without parole.

Murder
Shai had endured torture, and was discovered to have been kidnapped, stabbed 20 times and had her neck sliced, effectively killed by her foster mother, Jayme Henderson (b. June 19th 1974) in a state of rage that began over her anger towards her foster mother's mistreatment of her that she claimed was product of her imagination. Jayme, quoted on a Six news report, allegedly called her names like "ungrateful rat".

On the morning of June 17, 2014, Jayme stabbed Shai 20 times with a kitchen knife before slicing her neck open, while Alan, a friend of hers who posed as a police officer, held her face down. Jayme's 13-year-old son, Johnny, was unable to help as she doused Shai in hot water. Jayme was charged with second-degree murder and child endangerment and Alan with false imprisonment and impersonation of law enforcement.

They were only convicted 5 years later on verdict of first-degree manslaughter and other charges, and were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Johnny accused Jayme of inflicting the final, fatal blow. The indictment also alleged that Jayme hired Alan to impersonate a police officer and made him hold down Shai, before attacking her foster mother and leaving her for dead to ensure Jayme got away with her crimes.

Discovery of previous abuse
Evidence of abuse inflicted on Shai came to light after a warehouse in Georgetown was raided by Guianese Investigation Directorate agents on June 18, 2014, the day after her death, and her dead body was found with her organs removed, on a table with a note marking her as a "human specimen" attached. It was revealed that Jayme had been abusing and torturing Shai for 3 years ever since she adopted her from foster care, and one time even sold her on the black market for 2.5 million GY$ so she could be put into child labor under the guise of punishment, but actually wanted the money.

The money that she received in return, as well as from selling her organs and her misuse of the foster care system (which was 5 million GY$ in total) was later spent on various luxury and designer items, including Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags, as well as exotic luxury items. Jayme was also revealed to be an avid supporter of far-right politician Daniel O'Brien, and even managed to sell Shai's organs, contained in formaldehyde jars, to his supporters for 100,000 GY$ each after her murder, with O'Brien himself receiving Shai's heart, the highest-priced item at 5 million GY$.

Funeral
Shai's funeral was held at St. Silvester's Church in Georgetown on July 1st 2014. According to a 7TV news report, there was considerable anger during the burial with both Jayme and Shai's families present.

Escape
On the day Shai was murdered, Jayme drove to Paramaribo Airport and managed to get through security under a fake identity, disguising herself as a male tourist using a latex mask and using the alias Russell Lynch, successfully boarding a flight to Georgetown Lee Jeffery International Airport. She used the same trick to board an Emirates flight to Dubai. Guiair flight attendant Shauna Woods, who testified at the murder trial, explained that "the fact that "Russell" had glasses and a cap on made me suspicious whether he was just a mask or not".

The revelation was made by an official police report that Jayme had planned to use the combined money she collected from her abuse of the foster care system, her sale of Shai to the black market, and her sale of Shai's organs to far-right politicians and authoritarian leaders, to buy various designer bags and other expensive items from Gucci, Hermes and Louis Vuitton, as well as expensive liquors.

After she had done away with her daughter, she would flee to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to live a luxurious life with her three friends, who were also known child abusers, one of which was Jayme's lawyer and another of which was Alan, whom she used as a fake police officer to restrain Shai from escaping as she was murdering her, and after that, attack the birth mother brutally and leave her for dead.

Capture
In the afternoon hours of April 7, 2019, Jayme was preparing to return to Georgetown under the pretext of an "exotic trip home". When she boarded a Guiair flight to Georgetown, she was immediately recognized by an onlooker who was a friend of Shai at the time of her murder. Immediately, he contacted police on her, and was arrested outside Terminal 1 on that same day.

Trial
Jayme and her friends were collectively tried at the Paramaribo District Court 5 years after Shai's murder, on June 17, 2019.

Details and evidence
An eyewitness report stated that Shai was reportedly confined to the cellar of her house with various items, as well as a bag of dog food she was apparently forced to eat. Shai was also alleged to have been made to eat off the floor for attempting to fight back.

The trial the next day focused on the items that were used to pass herself off through airport security when she was traveling to Paramaribo to Georgetown and then Dubai. The chief objects shown at the trial, among the other items, were a CFX "Mac the Guy" mask, wig and gloves, which she used on both flights. For clothes, she went for a red sweater, blue jeans, and a muscle suit for padding underneath. Accessories included in her disguise were a blue baseball cap and shades. A forged Guianese passport was also used in the disguise.

Shai's stolen iPhone 5 and earphones were used as an accessory, pretending to listen to rap songs during the flight.

Other testimonies
Forensic photographs revealing Shai's horrific injuries were shown on June 20. The pictures were taken in 2015 by Elena Salvador, a forensic pathologist who testified at the trial. She stated that Shai was stabbed with an injection needle filled with sulfuric acid, and had half a bottle of formalin shoved into her mouth after her neck was sliced open, to ensure that Shai's death would be slower and more painful than intended.

It was revealed by another witness, namely then-YouTuber Daniel Vandenbroucke that he heard Jayme cackling madly as she fled the household in her sedan while Vandenbroucke was being driven by his parents to go planespotting at Georgetown Airport. Both vehicles stopped over at a Petroguiana gas station. Jayme admitted she was actually stopping so she can put her disguise on before escaping back into her car.

Shai's biological father, Shaun, testified that "Shai did not misbehave, she only got mad when her mother mistreated her", proving that Shai barely exhibited undesirable behavior, only doing so when she attempted to fight back. He also explained that one time in 2012, Shai was allegedly forced to fake sick as part of a crowdfunding scam, where the money collected was used to buy Gucci and Louis Vuitton bags.

Alan Robson, a teacher at the school Shai last studied in, then alleged that Jayme "forced him to drop her out" under the pretext of undesirable behavior and poor performance. Jayme's attorney, one of her friends, countered her statements by defending the fallacies.

Shai's aunt Lane then admitted that "Shai was always a loving daughter, but her mom thought otherwise", and that her mother was only using her for the money she would later spend on alcohol and multiple other luxuries after fleeing to Dubai.

Verdict
On June 26th, Jayme her friends were convicted on all counts, and was sentenced to life imprisonment with 25 years without parole. Jayme as she was being led out of court gave out a look of hatred and rage as she was being escorted into the police car. As she was being led out, she angrily ranted about her daughter's supposed disobedience before being taken away.