EXCLUSIVE: Special Prosecutor in Elmer Nah’s Case Speaks to News 5
Former police corporal Elmer Nah was handed three concurrent life sentences today, with the possibility of parole only after serving fifty years. This means that he will not be eligible for release until he is at least 90 years old.
Justice Nigel Pilgrim delivered the sentence more than three and a half years after Nah murdered three members of the Ramnarace family inside their Belmopan home on New Year’s Eve, 2022. In May, Nah was found guilty of killing Vivian, John, and David Ramnarace and of attempting to kill a fourth family member, an attack that unfolded in front of a five-year-old child.
Speaking exclusively to News Five following the sentencing, King’s Counsel Terrence Williams, who served as special prosecutor in the case, reflected on the gravity of the verdict and the weight of the proceedings. “For me, although I’ve been in this work now for thirty-odd years, it was a very emotional experience yesterday to hear from her aunt how the young girl has had to cope with losing her mother and father. It is a sadness. I feel assured that she’ll have great family support going forward and will take some solace, some comfort – the family will; the family of the deceased and the injured will take some solace in the verdict.”
The sentencing hearing took an unexpected turn when, ten minutes in, Nah raised his hand and asked to address the court. Justice Pilgrim initially reminded him that his opportunity to speak was during the mitigation hearing the previous day, but Nah claimed he had not been properly advised by his legal counsel, Dr Lynden Jones, on the benefits of the mitigation process. The judge reservedly granted his request. In his statement, Nah maintained his innocence, offered condolences to the Ramnarace family, and named another disgraced police officer as the actual killer. He closed his remarks, stating, “If I’m to be sentenced to 100 years, I know my conscience is clean.”
Williams described the moment as highly irregular. “One thing about courthouse matters is that strange things always happen,” he said. “And this utterance in court is very strange. We had a very long trial where any defence could have been advanced before the court during that trial. It’s a very strange thing.”
As he was escorted from the courtroom, Nah made one final statement to News 5 when he was asked what he thought of his legal representation. He was blunt: “Bogus! He sabotaged my case.”
Legal observers note that the quality of his defence is grounds Nah could potentially raise in an appeal. KC Williams confirmed the decision rests entirely with the convicted man. “The question of appeal is up to him,” he said.