A domestic dispute on Sunday, March 6th has led to the murder of one man in San Pedro. Reports are that Rommel Benedicto Catzim was fatally injured by his wife, Alida Lily Borrayo Barrientos de Catzim during an altercation at their home in the San Pedrito Area on Sunday, March 6th shortly after 9PM.
Following the discovery of the body, police launched a full investigation where Barrientos de Catzim confessed to having inflicted the wounds which led to her husband’s death.
According to Deputy of the Coastal Executive Unit, Assistant Superintendent Henry Jemmott, police responded to the reports of domestic dispute in the San Pedrito Area at around 10:30PM. Upon arriving at the scene, police found the body of a male individual lying face down in a pool of blood on a veranda on the second floor of an apartment building. Closer inspection revealed that the victim had sustained two apparent stab wounds to the chest and back causing him to bleed to death. Inside the home was Barrientos de Catzim, who was apprehended and escorted to the San Pedro Police Station for investigation.
“We understand that the couple was out socializing and were under the influence of alcohol. The couple apparently got into an altercation and the wife went home. Apparently when Catzim reached home he was still being aggressive, so Barrientos de Catzim opened the door and stabbed him. She has since confessed this to police,” stated Jemmott. Police have also escorted Barrientos de Catzim to retrieve the murder weapon which will be used as evidence in the case. “Police officers that responded to the murder have indicated that this is not the first time this couple had domestic disputes. We have also gathered information from neighbors who claim that the couple were constantly having issues. So with their history and being under the influence of alcohol this led to the murder,” said Jemmott.
Police have formally arrested Barrientos de Catzim who is awaiting charges for the crime of “murder” over the death of Rommel Benedicto Catzim. The body of the deceased has been transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City awaiting a postmortem examination.
This marks the third murder on the island for 2016. The deceased was a Belizean national, while Alida Lily Borrayo Barrientos de Catzim is originally from Guatemala.
