Mark Stevens Refuses to have His Fingerprint Taken in Court

Thirty-six-year-old Mark Stevens, accused of the attempted murder of Juan Carlos Rios Pineda on June eighth, appeared in court today when he was escorted from the Belize Central Prison.  His appearance this morning, before a magistrate, took an interesting turn when Stevens refused to have his fingerprint lifted by police experts.  While the court granted permission for his fingerprint to be taken, after partial prints were lifted from a knife allegedly used in the Pineda’s stabbing, Stevens put up a fight, refusing to comply with the orders of the magistrate.  On Saturday, June eighth, police visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they observed Pineda suffering from multiple stab wounds.  Initial investigation revealed that he was walking his dog in the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery when he was approached by an individual he knows as Mark Stevens.  Pineda said he made several attempts to evade Stevens by running home, but Stevens ran towards him and stabbed him multiple times with a kitchen knife.  Pineda’s landlord attempted to stop Stevens from inflicting the injuries, but he was unsuccessful in doing so.  While Stevens refused to cooperate with the taking of his fingerprint earlier today, another attempt will be made to do so at the Belize Central Prison where he remains on remand.