Four San Pedro men were found guilty on Friday, October 23rd, of offenses related to the 2021 shooting that claimed the life of Jerry Espat while he was fishing south of the island. Gabriel Villafranco and Carlos Salazar were convicted of Jerry’s murder and the attempted murder of Kirian Espat. Pedro Tun and Delson Paguada were convicted of the attempted murders of brothers Ricardo and Luis Santoya. The four men are scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2026.
A fifth man, Sergio Tun, was acquitted by the High Court of two counts of attempted murder involving the Santoya brothers.
According to the court report, witnesses said they saw a red-and-white boat approaching the fishermen. The Crown alleged that Paguada opened fire and that the attackers then pursued the Santoya brothers’ boat as it headed toward San Pedro.
The incident occurred on October 2, 2021, while the four fishermen were near Cangrejo Caye, south of San Pedro. Police reported that two boats carrying several men approached the men from the San Pedrito area. One of the Santoya brothers told police that a man aboard one of the approaching boats pulled out a firearm and fired several shots towards him and his brother. One of the brothers was shot below his left knee.
A man aboard the other boat then opened fire towards Kirian and Jerry, who dove into the water. Kirian suffered graze wounds to his right cheek and abdomen, while Jerry was reportedly fatally shot in the head. According to police, the three surviving fishermen escaped aboard their boat while being pursued by the gunmen.
Jerry was reported missing, and his body was found near mangroves the following day.
Kirian provided police with a statement identifying the men involved, and it was admitted as evidence in court. He died months after the incident. The Crown attributed his death to complications from inhaling salt water during the attack.
Since the shooting, the Espat family has repeatedly appealed for justice, calling on the authorities to hold those responsible accountable.