On Tuesday, June 2nd, island resident Josue Danilo Villatoro Amador, 32, pleaded guilty to a charge of Manslaughter in the 2019 shooting death of Police Corporal Alfonso Guy. Amador appeared before Justice Candace Nanton, accompanied by his attorney, Ronell Gonzalez, for the plea bargain. He was remanded to the Belize Central Prison and is scheduled to return to court for sentencing in July, on a date yet to be confirmed.
Amador had been incarcerated since 2019 after initially being charged with Murder. According to reports, he was granted bail by the High Court at the end of 2023. On May 22nd, he entered into a plea agreement with the Crown, formally pleading guilty to Manslaughter. Following the agreement, Amador failed to appear in court on May 29th, prompting Justice Nanton to issue a bench warrant. He presented himself the following day and was taken back into custody.
During the court proceedings, Justice Nanton ordered the preparation of several documents ahead of sentencing. These include a Social Inquiry Report, Antecedent Record, Victim Impact Statement, Prison Report, and the agreed-upon facts of the case, all of which are due by June 20, 2025.
The Shooting Incident
On the night of January 11, 2019, Amador and Corporal Guy, 51, were socializing at a local bar. According to witness accounts, Guy handed his police-issued firearm, a Bersa brand 9mm pistol, to Amador for safekeeping. The two later went to Amador’s apartment in the San Juan subdivision.
Once there, Guy reportedly went to the bathroom. When he returned, Amador gave the firearm back to him. Guy is said to have removed the magazine and then handed the weapon back to Amador. At that point, Amador began tampering with the firearm and allegedly pulled the trigger, shooting Guy in the chest.
Amador reportedly fled the scene with Guy’s firearm and did not render assistance. Guy was rushed to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II and subsequently airlifted to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in Belize City. He succumbed to his injuries en route.
The penalty for Manslaughter can carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. However, time already served by Amador may be taken into consideration in the final sentencing.
