Second of 4 crash victims buried in Moruga

Almost overwhelmed by grief at the funeral on Tuesday of her only child, Keston Nicholas, Paula Burton still burst into song with her hands in the air as she wept at a celebration of his life.

Dancing near the closed casket in the Third Company London Baptist Church in Moruga, the grieving mother appeared inconsolable as mourners hugged her and offered sympathy.

Burton’s twin sister Pauline and other siblings wept and sang along to vibrant hymns.

Nicholas, 21, of Lengua Road in Moruga, was one of four people who were killed in last Thursday’s fiery crash on the Solomon Hochoy Highway in Gasparillo.

The others were his cousin Michael Bradshaw, 21, national footballer Shahdon Winchester, 27, and Djenne Hills-Dyer, 28, both of Princes Town.

Before a packed congregation on Tuesday, Nicholas’ cousins Reon Rauseo and Shakira Burton took turns to eulogise him. They referred to themselves as members of the OTF (only the family) organisation in which "Burton’s blood makes you a member."

Shakira said Nicholas was a good example of a decent young man. He brought a lot of joy to his mother, father Bainton Nicholas, and the family. She recalled that he loved "good-quality clothes."

Even in grief, mourners laughed when she said, "Keston was always an entertainer. As a baby, he was a chubby little fella and he loved to dance. Maybe that is why he lost so much weight."

She added, "He was his mother’s eyeball. To Pauline, he was her second son."

Rauseo said Nicholas seemed to have had a premonition recently that something was going to happen to him. He told his grandmother Georgina "Georgie" Burton of the dreams he had.

Rauseo said, "He said he was not afraid, and began singing ‘There was no city on earth for me to dwell.'"

Before Nicholas left home, Rauseo recalled, he lay on his mother’s lap and kissed her.

The four friends were returning in Winchester’s SUV from a games night in Couva on Thursday when the car veered off the highway and crashed into an electricity pole. On impact the SUV burst into flames.

"It was his passion for gaming that took him to Couva on Wednesday night. Playing on his PS4 was his idea of a good lime. Keston’s passion was his music and he wanted to be a recording artist," he said.

Nicholas was expected to be buried next to Bradshaw’s grave in the Paynter Public cemetery at Indian Walk in Moruga.

The funeral of Hills-Dyer is tentatively scheduled for the weekend. The funeral of Winchester, the father of one, may take place for next week. A relative told Newsday the family was waiting for relatives to arrive from abroad.