Queens man sentenced to life in prison for deadly 2023 triple stabbing

A man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday in the brutal killing of three people inside his Queens home.

David Daniel, 56, stabbed Coleen Cesar Fields, Evette Sweeney and Wayne Thomas to death in November 2023, prosecutors said. Fields was Daniel's girlfriend at the time, and Sweeney and Thomas were Daniel's tenants.

Convicted killer apologizes in court

Prosecutors said Daniel went to the local police precinct after the attack and stated he had done a "horrible thing."

Daniel, a landlord, told police he was having trouble with tenants paying rent, and he also believed Fields was going to end their five-year relationship.

"He's never denied it. He's never stood here and said it was someone else or it wasn't him," defense attorney Vivian Cedeño said. "It was something that happened based on his state of mind."

"I just want to let everyone know how sorry and remorseful I am," Daniel said at his sentencing.

The Queens District Attorney's Office argues the trial told a different story.

"The evidence was overwhelming. This defendant was not a victim," Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Zawistowski said. "He did not suffer from amnesia or lose control, but rather [was] fueled by rage, anger and hatred."

"The defendant wanted a trial. He got a trial," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. "He refused the 33 years to life that was offered by the DA's office, and now it's over and he's facing life in prison."  

Families address killer

Loved ones shared emotional victim impact statements in the courtroom at Tuesday's sentencing.

Speaking through tears, Sweeney's only child, Charlene McKenzie, addressed her mother's killer.

"While you took her life, you will never take away the love that her friends and family have for her," McKenzie said.

She added, "You did not just take a life. You destroyed a family."

"We came not only to seek justice, but to ensure his killer knew how much Wayne was loved," said Petula Thomas, Wayne Thomas' sister.

"We have been devastated, each in our own way," Fields' sister, Wendy, said.

Judge Kenneth Holder handed down what's believed to be the final sentence of his career as the courtroom erupted in cheers, and he didn't hold back.

"I'm sure there's a special place in hell for someone like you," he told Daniel.

Families said they're relieved justice has been served, but heartbroken their loved ones will never come home.

"My brother is irreplaceable, and he will be sadly, greatly missed," said Ronald Thomas, Wayne Thomas's brother.