Islander 32-year-old Alvaro Luis Tun was arraigned at the San Pedro Magistrate Court on Tuesday, March 7th, for the death of 29-year-old Elder Arana. Although Tun claims he is innocent, he is charged with Murder. No plea was taken, and bail was denied. Tun has been remanded to the Kolbe Foundation-Belize Central Prison, and his next court date is set for May 31, 2023.
The incident Tun is charged with occurred in the early hours of Sunday, March 5th, at a nightclub called Jeemar’s in the San Pedrito area. According to the police report, around 1:40AM, Arana was at Jeemar’s, where he was involved in a fight. As per witnesses, Tun started choking Arana. A brawl reportedly started outside on the street, where Arana was stabbed in the back, chest, and abdomen. Some people tried to render assistance by pressing on Arana’s wounds to stop bleeding. Arana was transported in a golf cart to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II, where he was pronounced dead at 2AM.
The report continued that Police detained Tun and four teenagers, ages 15 to 19, and a 22-year-old. On Monday evening, Tun was charged with Murder, while the teenagers and the other adult detained were reportedly released without charges.
Michelle Arana, sister of the deceased, spoke to The Sun and shared that they are shocked as her brother, who moved to the island from the Capital City of Belmopan, was not known to be a troublemaker. “He had been on the island for around two years. He was friendly, and although we did not see each other too often, we kept in touch,” said Arana. “My brother did not go out that much, but that night I heard someone call him to head to that spot. When he arrived at that club, it was when the incident happened.” The Arana family said they were unaware if their relative had problems with anyone else. His mother briefly noted that he was never involved in any issues in Belmopan. The family said he would go out occasionally but never tangled with trouble. As such, they demand justice for their loved one, who leaves behind three young children and a broken wife. The wife declined to comment.
Tun’s family says Alvaro is innocent
The Tun family lamented the death of Elder Arana but believes the Police need to investigate the case better as they claim their relative is not responsible for the fatal stabbing. They contended that Tun, who identified himself in the Magistrate Court as a proprietor of a security company on the island, was called to Jeemar’s to deal with an issue. They said there was an altercation when he got there, which he reportedly was trying to break up. The fight then spilled to the street, where Arana was fatally stabbed.
The Tun family said Alvaro was not a friend of the teenagers, and the other adult detained and was not acquainted with the deceased. They added that Alvaro’s clothes were not even stained with blood, but someone is blaming him for the unfortunate incident. They say Police need to better investigate such cases before charging people. The Tun family has hired an attorney and will seek the assistance of a higher court to get Alvaro out of prison.
This is the first homicide of the year for San Pedro. In 2022, there were only two murders registered, the lowest in many years.
