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Howard Celestine pleads guilty in multiple counts; court imposes concurrent prison terms
Summary
Howard Celestine entered guilty pleas to several felonies — manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, murder and endangering a child — and received concurrent prison terms, including two 50-year sentences, the court said.
Howard Celestine pleaded guilty in multiple cases in the 252nd District Court and received concurrent prison sentences totaling multiple decades, the court announced.
On separate indictments the court accepted pleas and imposed the agreed sentences: 20 years for manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance (cause 24DCCR0919), 50 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (cause 24DCCR1549) with an affirmative deadly-weapon finding, 50 years for a murder conviction (cause 24DCCR1550), and 2 years in state jail for abandoning or endangering a child (cause 24DCCR1551). The judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently and noted the defendant will receive credit for time in custody as allowed by law.
As required on the record, the court confirmed plea waivers and that the defendant understood the consequences, including the written admonitions about firearm possession. The prosecutor tendered exhibits and the court found the evidence sufficient to enter convictions. The court also noted prior convictions and enhancement paragraphs that raised the range of punishment in some counts.
Court staff handed the defendant the trial-court certifications documenting the plea agreements and advised him about firearm-ineligibility admonitions and the process for credit for time served. The court set no additional probationary or supervisory conditions because the judgments were custodial.
Each plea and the corresponding sentence were entered on the record and the clerk will file sentencing documents and provide the defendant with the required written certifications.
