Police News

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.

On Wednesday, November 22nd, Canadian National Jasmine Hartin returned to San Pedro’s Magistrate Court for the trial on the charges of Drug Possession and Common Assault. Hartin and her attorney, Arthur Saldivar, hoped to conclude these two legal matters. However, they were adjourned to January 26, 2024, to be heard at the Belize City Magistrate Court.

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 Friday, October 27th, three American nationals, bartender Elexa Chism, 26, bar owner Karim Osman, 29, and proclaimed lawyer David Blake Pendergrast, 45, were arraigned at the Belize City Magistrate Court after being arrested and charged in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye for immigration offenses. The trio was detained by police for shoplifting and later linked to the theft of a 58-foot $1.5 million catamaran from a Fort Lauderdale marina in Florida, USA, in September.

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.

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.