Thursday, March 28, 2024

Luis Manuel Carter found guilty for the 2016 murder of Dwayne Hyde

Share

In a judgment delivered on Friday, February 21st, 37-year-old Luis Manuel Carter, aka ‘Wiz,’ was found guilty by Justice Colin Williams for the 2016 murder of island resident Dwayne Hyde. Carter will face sentencing on Friday, February 28th.
The events leading to Hyde’s death on July 13, 2016, began when two male persons reportedly entered the yard of his home. According to an official report, one of the persons was identified as Carter, who got involved in an altercation with Hyde. During the fight, Hyde was shot in the abdomen. He was transported to Belize City, where he remained hospitalized. Carter was detained and charged for the crime of Grievous Harm and Attempted Murder, but the charge was upgraded to murder after Hyde succumbed to his injury on July 27, 2016.

Luis Manuel Carter

The trial began on January 30, 2020, and the main witness for the Crown was Hyde’s common-law wife, Kimberly Humes. According to Humes, while she was lying in bed waiting for Hyde to come home from work someone knocked on the door. When she opened the door, Humes recognized Hyde’s voice saying, ‘Gyal open the door!’ Humes continued, saying that her common-law husband went inside the house and then told her that they were coming to kill him that same moment. According to her testimony, she suddenly saw two persons riding on bicycles entering the yard. One of them, known to her as Wiz, got off his bicycle and went towards Hyde. Humes said she heard a gun being cocked and then Wiz pointed said gun at Hyde. Hyde grabbed the weapon and tried to move it away from his direction. To defend himself, Hyde pulled out a screwdriver from his pants pocket and stabbed Wiz in his abdomen. Humes said that a struggle then ensued between Wiz (Carter) and Hyde, and then a gunshot was heard.
Hyde reportedly clutched the side of his body and told Humes to call the police. Humes did so and then went out to look for help. Hyde’s sister, who lived next door, came over and he was then put in an SUV and rushed to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II. Hyde died 14 days later while undergoing treatment at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City.

Dwayne Hyde

In his defence, Carter gave a statement indicating that he was defending himself because Hyde had a gun and a screwdriver. However, Justice Williams ruled that based on the evidence, it was not a case of self-defence. He explained that Carter was the aggressor and the sole possessor of a firearm.
This is the third murder case this year that has resulted in a guilty/sentencing verdict at the Supreme Court. On January 28th, Anabel Kumul was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the 2014 murder of her common-law husband Felix Alamilla. Due to her guilty plea, Kumul was entitled to a reduction of a third of her sentence. Instead of serving 15 years, her remaining time in prison will now be four years and six months. The second case saw 25-year-old Gilberto Chanek sentenced to 15 years in prison for the 2018 murder of Carlitos ‘Ninja’ Valdez. Chanek also pled guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and a third of his sentence was reduced, including time spent while on remand. Chanek will serve eight and a half years in prison.

Read more

 

Please help support Local Journalism in Belize

For the first time in the history of the island's community newspaper, The San Pedro Sun is appealing to their thousands of readers to help support the paper during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 1991 we have tirelessly provided vital local and national news. Now, more than ever, our community depends on us for trustworthy reporting, but our hard work comes with a cost. We need your support to keep delivering the news you rely on each and every day. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Please support us by making a contribution.

Local News