On Monday, December 18th, David Gill Lambey, 18, was arraigned at the San Pedro Magistrate Court for the Murder of islander Irvin Enderson Martinez. Martinez, a 28-year-old bartender, was fatally stabbed on Friday, December 15th, after an altercation with Lambey and three other individuals. The other three persons, 22-year-old Zephania Mariano, Zechariah Mariano, and 19-year-old Keyron Lambey, were also arraigned for the charge of Aggravated Assault. They were all remanded to the Kolbe Foundation- Belize Central Prison until their next court date on February 28, 2024.
The incident, days before Christmas, occurred at about 6PM as Martinez and his common-law wife were walking within the Mahogany Bay Village Resort compound, south of town, heading home. The bartender couple had just left their workplace. A police report revealed that construction workers were heading out as Martinez and his common-law were about to exit the property.
The construction crew included David Lambey, Keyron Lambey, Zephania, and Zechariah Mariano. The official report details that at some point, Martinez got into an altercation with Lambey and the three other individuals. In the scuffle, Lambey reportedly inflicted a single stab wound to Martinez, and then all of them fled the scene. Several persons who witnessed the incident tried to help Martinez. The bartender was rushed to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II. According to the first responders, the stab wound pierced one of his lungs and vital arteries near the heart. They did everything they could, but Martinez was pronounced dead at the polyclinic at 6:23PM.
San Pedro Police processed the scene and identified witnesses. They immediately apprehended Lambey and his accomplices. The statements of the incident reveal that Lambey and his colleagues accosted Martinez because he stared at them. In contrast, the initial version of the incident stated that Lambey and his crew were trying to flirt with Martine’s common-law wife. When Martinez asked them to stop such behavior, he was attacked. No other motive has been shared from the police investigation.
While the family grieves their loss, those close to Martinez try to understand what happened. Childhood friends are in shock as they say Martinez was a humble and hardworking man. They say his murder was senseless, and as his family, they are all demanding justice. They call on the authorities to ensure those responsible are not released from prison. Martinez’s friends, who asked to remain anonymous, added that a family was shattered, and it will be long before they can recover from this tragedy.
Martinez is survived by his mother, his common-law wife, three children, a host of friends, and other relatives.
