White Plains, NY - The Westchester County District Attorney's office announced that Selwyn Days, 47, formerly of Mount Vernon, New York was sentenced December 20th, 2011 to two consecutive 25 year terms in state prison, totaling 50 years to life.

Days was sentenced on his October 2011 conviction after a jury trial of 2 counts of Murder in the Second Degree relating to the deaths of Archie Harris and Betty Ramcharan whose bodies were discovered on November 21, 1996 in the Town of Eastchester.

The murders remained unsolved until the defendant was arrested on February 16, 2001.

On November 21, 1996, at approximately 11:45 A.M. the bodies of Archie Harris and Betty Ramcharan were discovered murdered inside Harris’s home in Eastchester, New York.

Based upon medical evidence, witness statements and telephone records, these murders occurred two to three days prior to the discovery of the two bodies, including and encompassing the evening hours of November 18, 1996.

The defendant intentionally caused the death of Archie Harris by beating him about the head and face and repeatedly stabbing him about the head, face, neck, chest, right elbow, right forearm, right hand and left hand with a knife.

The defendant also intentionally caused the death of Betty Ramcharan, Harris’s home health worker who was also present inside the Harris home, by slicing her through her voice box, strangling her, and stabbing her about the left shoulder and neck with a knife.

On April 16, 2004, Days was convicted by a Westchester County jury of two counts of Murder in the Second Degree and on June 21st 2004 was sentenced to two consecutive terms of twenty-five-years-to-life. On July 11th, 2006 the Appellate Division affirmed the conviction.

The original conviction was the result of a joint investigation by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the Eastchester Police Department, and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety with assistance from the Mount Vernon Police Department.

“Mr. Days’ initial conviction was overturned because of the ineffective assistance of his defense counsel. We never wavered in our belief in the evidence of his guilt, said District Attorney Janet DiFiore reiterating her earlier statement after the defendant was sentenced. “Today, the Court sentenced the defendant to consecutive terms in state prison in recognition of that horrific double murder committed fifteen years ago. I want to again thank all the people who assisted us in this prosecution, particularly the Eastchester police, the Westchester County police, our outstanding forensic scientists and, of course, the prosecutors in my office who continued to work on the case in a tenacious and professional manner.”

The defendant’s previous trial earlier this year ended with a hung jury.

Assistant District Attorney Perry Perrone, Chief of the Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Christine O’Connor Chief of the Firearms Bureau prosecuted the case.