2 life sentences for Trini killer

Any chance Diaz had of getting a lenient sentence and returning to his native Trinidad was dashed yesterday when he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Diaz, 60, was expressionless yesterday afternoon as he stood before Judge Teresa Sarmina, who sentenced him for the brutal murders in the quiet West Philadelphia district on June 17, 2003.

Diaz can appeal his sentence, but court officials in Philadelphia could not say when the appeal will be heard. One official, speaking to Newsday yesterday, pointed out that Diaz can resign himself to spending the rest of his natural life in prison as his sentences have ruled out any chance of parole for the crimes he committed.

Diaz was supposed to be sentenced on November 30, but that was pushed back to yesterday at the request of the judge.

Diaz became upset that his former common-law wife ran away from Trinidad and left him behind. She got married to Celestine in December 2002. Diaz followed her to the United States and shot her in the presence of one of her children. He then killed the woman’s husband in a case described by the Philadelphia Police as a "crime of passion."

Diaz, formerly of Carmichael Village, Coryal, was before Sarmina in the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Centre in the United States. He had been found guilty on October 5 of the murders of Eugene Celestine and his Trinidadian wife Pramatee "Mira" Rampersad-Celestine on June 17, 2003, in West Philadelphia. He was also convicted of three firearm-related offences.

Diaz, who once worked with the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, was represented at the trial by Thomas Mc Gill, while Jason Bologna, prosecutor, represented the Homicide Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office.

The court heard that on the morning of June 17, 2003, Celestine, 29, was found dead on the pavement near a block of apartments on North Ruby Street with a gunshot wound to the head.

Police investigating Celestine’s death found Pramatee, 40, dead in the couple’s apartment house at the corner of 45th and Arch Streets, West Philadelphia, hours later.

Pramatee had been dead since the night before with her two sons, Michael, 13, and Randy, ten, forced to stay in the house with killer Diaz and their mother for more than ten hours.

After the killings, Diaz took the two boys to the corner of 60th and Samson Streets to their mother’s restaurant, Island Style Soul Food Restaurant, where he released them. The frightened boys returned to their home and called the police. Diaz surrendered to the police on June 20, 2003, and waived his right to a jury hearing.

Judge Sarmina heard evidence from the dead woman’s two boys, one of whom witnessed his mother’s murder. The boys gave their evidence on a close circuit television screen, watched by the accused. They did not see the accused, nor did the accused see them.