Crime & Violence

On Wednesday, December 20th, Delson and Tionne Paguada were convicted at the High Court in Belize City for the 2018 murder of Jimell Paul Jex in San Pedro Town. Delson was sentenced to 24 years, and his younger brother Tionne to 21 years.

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 Honourable Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and in charge of the Belize Police Department, met with the family of the murder victims, Delmar Rodriguez, his baby daughter Amarie, and Carlos Chi. Musa said that although he cannot reveal what they discussed, his ministry provides all the support they can to affected families.

On Saturday, November 4th, there was news from La Isla Cariñosa of Caye Caulker about the discovery of a woman found dead in her home. The deceased was identified as 32-year-old Leslie Verde. The body was bruised, and police have since launched an investigation into the cause of Verde's death. While investigations continue, no one has been detained.

The mass shooting in San Pedrito, which left three dead, Delmar Rodriguez, 25, his baby daughter Amari Rodriguez, and friend Carlos Chi, continues to shock the community. The violent attack in the early hours of October 23rd also injured four other persons. Even though police have arrested and charged two suspects, Christian Espat and Michal Brown, the families of the fatal victims say police ignored their reports of threats. A week following the deadly shooting, they issued a statement talking about the heinous crime that has torn them apart.

On Tuesday, October 24th, Michael Brown, named as one of the two suspects in the deadly mass shooting in the San Pedrito area, turned himself over to the San Pedro Police.

Police have named islanders Christian Espat and Michael Brown as persons of interest in the mass shooting in the San Pedrito subdivision, leaving islanders...

Major crimes in San Pedro, Ambergris, such as murders, have decreased over the last few years, but in the very early hours of Monday, October 23rd, all that changed when two adults and a 3-year-old baby girl were shot and killed in the San Pedrito subdivision. Police identified the deceased as Delmar Rodriguez, 25, and a second adult, Carlos Chi. The baby girl was Rodriguez’s daughter, Amari Rodriguez. Four bystanders were also caught in the hail of gunshots and airlifted to Belize City for further medical attention. Three of them remain in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. As police investigations continue, they have one person of interest they are currently looking for. Police speculate that the motive is related to drug gang activity on the island.