Tonia’s family happy with Beachy Stout’s life sentence

The family of Tonia McDonald is relieved that her 69-year-old husband, who orchestrated her brutal death, will spend the rest of his life in prison.

“He will not be coming out back; that alone is closure for us. He will be locked away for life,” Tonia’s sister, Nicole Hamilton Linton, commented on Thursday after Everton ‘Beachy Stout’ McDonald was handed a pre-parole sentence of almost 30 years.

The Portland businessman, who will be observing his 70th birthday on October 29, was sentenced to life in prison for his wife’s murder and ordered to serve 28 years and 11 months in prison before being eligible for parole. He was also sentenced to four years and six months for conspiracy, but the sentences are to run concurrently.

Oscar Barnes, the 33-year-old St Mary tiler and fisherman, who was subcontracted for the murder of Tonia, was similarly sentenced to life in prison and slapped with a

28-year, 11-month pre-parole sentence. He was also sentenced to six years and six months for conspiracy.

McDonald, who had appeared nonchalant during the near-six-month trial, looked peeved while his co-convict sported a smirk as they stood before Justice Chester Stamp in the Home Circuit Court for sentencing.

Reacting to the sentences, Hamilton Linton, who was very emotional as she leaned on her husband, Haleem Linton, was pleased.

“It brings a bit of closure to everything, but, unfortunately, my sister is still deceased; she will never be able to be with us again,” she said with a heavy sigh. “But I am glad that the justice system was able to get these persons off the street and make it a little bit safer for law-abiding citizens.

“We just want to be able to mourn now and put this all behind us,” she added.

Hamilton Linton said she agreed with the judge’s description of the case being one of the “worst of the worst”.

“Having to live through all of it, reading it in the media, just imagining what my sister went through in her final moments haunts me to this day,” she said, recalling that she recently broke down upon hearing one of Tonia’s favourite songs.

“This not something that you heal from. It is something that stays with you for a long time, maybe for all my years, and I will always remember my baby sister because when I look in the mirror, I see her, because persons used to mistake us for twins. She will never ever leave us,” she added.

The men were found guilty on both charges in March by a jury.

The charred remains of Tonia, McDonald’s second wife, were found next to her burnt Toyota Axio motor car in Sherwood Forrest in Portland on July 20, 2020. It had nine stab wounds and the throat was slashed.

A contract killer, Denvalyn Minott, who is serving 19 years in prison for his role in her murder, had testified that McDonald hired him to kill his wife for $3 million, but that he passed on the work to Barnes.

Minott testified that he and Barnes made about four unsuccessful trips to Tonia’s house to kill her before he lured her to the area where she was murdered, under the pretence that he had secured two guns that she was seeking to purchase.

The court heard that Tonia wanted to purchase a gun to avenge her father’s death and that her husband introduced her to Minott for his assistance.

Barnes and McDonald both denied killing the woman or being part of a murder conspiracy.

Attorneys-at-law Christopher Townsend, Courtney Rowe, John Jacobs, Earl Hamilton and his son, Jon-Paul, represented Beachy Stout.

Attorney-at-law Ernest Davis and Vincent Wellesley represented Barnes.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com