A man found guilty of killing two workers at the Bristol Borough job he was fired from months earlier had his two death sentences upheld by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Robert Diamond, 38, admitted in 2008 to killing Angel Guadalupe, 46, of Falls, and Reginald Woodson, 52, of Willingboro, N.J. at the Simon and Schuster warehouse on Radcliff Street in the borough on August 1, 2008. Diamond was found guilty of both men’s murders and sentenced twice to the death penalty during a no-jury trial.
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In Supreme Court Justice Max Baer’s opinion, he wrote:
It is clear that the evidence, as set forth above and as developed during the suppression hearing, guilty plea proceeding, and penalty hearing, is sufficient to support Appellant’s two convictions of first degree murder. Appellant accepted responsibility for the two murders and repeatedly acknowledged that he fatally shot Guadalupe and Woodson.
Baer’s opinion was backed by the majority of the state’s highest court.
In 2012, Diamond sought a new trial with his legal team claiming he suffered from mentally incompetence, according to a PhillyBurbs.com article.
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A doctor testified previously that Diamond was a “delusional and psychotic with a history of failed relationships, sporadic employment, and difficulty with finances and family.”
Previous drug abuse at a young age may have contributed to his mental illness and a troubled childhood contributed to Diamond making the choice to shoot up his workplace, his legal team argued.
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“Appellant’s troubled life history did not serve to mitigate the murders, as there was no connection between Appellant’s upbringing and his criminal acts on the day of the fatal shootings,”Baer wrote.
The 2008 workplace shooting was racially motivated, with Diamond telling police he killed the two men, one who was Hispanic and one who was black, because he “lumped them all together.” He also said he was “no racist” and added that he hoped his actions “save hundreds of innocent whites from tyranny.”
Diamond told investigators after the shooting he was seeking revenge against Simon and Schuster employees who mistreated him. He was fired in April 2008 for not showing up for work and was running low on money at the time of the murders.
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When borough police and officers from surrounding towns arrived, Diamond surrendered. He later told them he was planning to shoot himself but officers arrived to the shooting scene to quickly.
According to media reports, Guadalupe was a father of four and had just started working at the warehouse to pay off his mortgage. Woodson was a attempting to get back in the warehouse after he learned Guadalupe had been shot as he was leaving work.
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Although Diamond is facing the death penalty, the last execution is the state was in 1999. In total, the state has a 189-person Pennsylvania death penalty list.
