Exclusive: Brother of Ramon Diaz speaks out after suspects charged in his murder
The brother of local martial arts instructor, Ramon Diaz, is reacting to the charges facing two men in connection with his murder.
Tony Diaz spoke exclusively with News Channel 3's Samantha Lomibao, after the two men suspected in the 2018 fatal shooting of Ramon in Cathedral City were charged on Thursday.
Troy Walter Edmund, 44, and Kipko Griffin, 48, are set to be arraigned next week on murder.
Tony tells us there’s a lot of mixed emotions with these arrests and charges.
“Just one of the cleanest living, kindest people that you could ever encounter," Tony said.
He described Ramon as one of the purest souls, who gave 110% into anything he did.
“If he said something, it was his word. And, and his word meant a lot and super devoted to the things that he did," Tony explained.
They were just 11-months apart in age and were super close to each other.
It was on the night of March 28, 2018, when Tony’s life changed forever. He got a phone call from his sister that he will never forget.
“Just had that suspicion that it couldn't, something was not right," he added. "I just assured her that he was a bull, you know, and he was gonna be fine. And as the hours counted down, it was the opposite of that.”
Ramon was shot and killed in front of his Cathedral City home.
The arrests of Griffin and Edmund are the biggest breaks in the case since Ramon died 5 years ago. It's left Tony, his family and several others searching for answers.
“There's a missing part of my heart, that, you know, that can't be filled... I knew that justice would be served. And I also accepted the fact that it may not be my lifetime," Tony said.
Kipko and Griffin additionally face a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, according to court records. Edmund was also charged with one felony count of being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm as well as a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury.
“I felt that it couldn't be, you know, it could not be something that my brother got involved in," Tony explained. "It's horrible to imagine that two or more people are going to sit in a location and conspire to end someone's life.”
Detectives worked numerous leads in the March 28, 2018, murder of Ramon Diaz but it wasn't until the department's detective bureau got a lead in June 2023 that they were able to identify Edmund and Griffin as the suspects, according to Investigative Commander Rick Sanchez of the Cathedral City Police Department. Griffin was arrested Tuesday while Edmund was already behind bars in unrelated charges.
"Video surveillance from the surrounding area showed the suspect vehicle pulled up to the victim's home, the passenger door opened, and the suspect exited the vehicle and walked towards the victim,'' Sanchez wrote in a statement. "The suspect is later seen running away from the residence towards the awaiting suspect vehicle that was parked at the intersection."
The vehicle then sped away from the scene, according to Sanchez. Diaz subsequently succumbed to his injuries as Cathedral City Fire Department personnel were taking him to a hospital.
He says their arrest is bittersweet.
“It was a sense of okay, well, we've got people arrested for taking my brother's life and that's obviously a win... it doesn't change the fact that my brother's gone.”
Tony tells us he’s very grateful for the work done in this case, but it’s never-ending community support that’s helped him get through it all.
“To those people I'm grateful to them because they were my source and my family source of comfort and love and support.”
