30 years for taxi driver’s murder

STACY MOORE

A convicted murderer who escaped the hangman’s noose in 2007, was on Thursday sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment for the 2002 murder of a taxi driver.

David Donald, 39, will be released in 14 years’ time after the court made deductions from his sentence for time he spent incarcerated awaiting the start of the trial. The case was heard before Justice Carla Brown-Antoine in the San Fernando First Criminal Court. On February 10, 2007 Donald was convicted for the murder of Ramesh Seelochan and sentenced to death by hanging.

The conviction and sentencing was appealed. On August 8, 2002 at 2 pm in Tabaquite, Seelochan was killed while driving his taxi. The court heard that Seelochan agreed to transport Donald and another man named Willis Romero. As Seelochan began driving, Donald pulled out a gun and announced a hold up.

On nearing a WASA pump along Tabaquite Main Road, Donald ordered Seelochan to stop the car. Seelochan and Romero were ordered into a forested area. Donald, while pointing a gun at the men ordered that Romero take off one of Seelochan’s shoe laces and tie his hands. Romero complied.

The court heard that Romero begged for his life and managed to escaped by running out of the forest. Seconds later he heard an explosion. Later that day, Seelochan’s body was found in Cats Hill, Moruga inside the burnt out shell of his Nissan B14 car.

A post mortem confirmed he was shot twice in the head. Later that night, when police arrested Donald, he was found with his passport and a plane ticket for Grenada.

In passing sentence, Justice Brown-Antoine said the sentence was based on the felony murder rule. The aggravating factors, she said, was the high prevalence of murder in society and the offence she said was committed in pursuit of financial gain and premeditated. The state was represented by attorney Stacy Lallo-Chong while defence attorney was Shabanna Shah.